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Bureau of Mines Information Circular/1988 



\ 



Coal Extraction, Transport, and Logistics 
Technology for Underground Mining 

By Robert J. Evans and William D. Mayercheck 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 




Information Circular 9181 



Coal Extraction, Transport, and Logistics 
Technology for Underground Mining 

By Robert J. Evans and William D. Mayercheck 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
Donald Paul Hodel, Secretary 

BUREAU OF MINES 
T S Ary, Director 



< 



% 






6 



1> 






Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: 



Evans, Robert J. 














Coal extraction, 


transport, 


and 


logistics technology 


for 


underground 


mining. 














(Information cirular ; 9181) 












Bibliography: p. 


79-81. 












Supt. of Docs. 


no.: I 28.27:9181. 










1. Coal mines 


and mining. 


I. 


Mayercheck, William 


D. 


II. 


Title. 


III. Series: Information circular 


(United States. Bureau < 


3f Mines ) 


9181. 


TN295.U4 


[TN802] 




622\334 




87-600440 



CONTENTS 

Page 

Abstract 1 

Introduction 2 

Acknowledgments 3 

Coal extraction technology 3 

Automated extraction system II 4 

Umbrella miner 9 

Remote operating system 14 

Variable wall miner system 19 

Bidirectional auger 22 

Coal transport technology 27 

Hopper-feeder-bolter 28 

Monorail bridge conveyor 34 

Multiple-unit continuous haulage system 40 

Automated bridge conveyor train 46 

Flywheel-powered shuttle car 49 

Flip-top canopy 52 

Commercially available Bureau-sponsored transport projects 58 

Maximum-capacity shuttle car 58 

Diesel-powered face haulage vehicle 58 

Mobile bridge conveyor operator compartment 58 

Flexible conveyor train 60 

Coal mine logistics technology 61 

Conveyor belt service machine 61 

Materials handling devices 64 

Scoop-mounted boom hoist 65 

Lift-transport mechanism 65 

Machine-mounted swivel crane 67 

Container-workstation transporter 67 

Timber car 67 

Diesel-powered f orklif t 70 

Track maintenance vehicle 70 

Returning coal waste underground 72 

Surface-testing prototype mine equipment 73 

Future Bureau research efforts 78 

Summary 79 

References 79 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

1. U.S. underground coal production by mining method 4 

2. Automated extraction system II 5 

3. Automated extraction system machine components 8 

4. Typical mine plan and cut sequence for break-to-break mining with 

automated extraction system 9 

5. Automated extraction system at Bureau's surface test facilities 10 

6. Umbrella miner with augers in tramming mode 10 

7. Umbrella miner straight-ahead mining 10 

8. Umbrella miner turning a crosscut 11 

9. Major components of umbrella miner 11 

10. Umbrella miner chain conveyor system 14 

11. Umbrella miner in surface test facility 15 



11 



ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued 



Page 



12. Continuous miner designed for remote operation 17 

13. Artist's illustration of remote operator compartment 17 

14. Prototype remote operator compartment 18 

15. Using remote operation for mining a thin seam in a surface mining highwall 19 

16. End and plan views of variable wall miner system 20 

17. Surface-testing of variable wall miner system 20 

18. End view of variable wall miner auger string 21 

19. Variable wall miner face assembly 22 

20. Closeup view of variable wall miner auger 24 

21. View of partial auger string and connecting shafting 25 

22. Bidirectional auger prior to in-mine trials 25 

23. Conceptual plan for partial pillar extraction with bidirectional auger.... 27 

24. Typical ventilation plan for pillar extraction with bidirectional auger... 28 

25. Bidirectional auger underground in an Illinois coal mine 29 

26. Hopper-feeder-bolter in surface test facility 30 

27. Bolter module of hopper-feeder-bolter 30 

28. Major components of hopper-feeder-bolter 31 

29. Hopper-feeder-bolter handheld remote control unit 33 

30. Operating sequence of hopper-feeder-bolter beside a two-pass continuous 

miner 33 

31. Three types of monorail bridge conveyor units 34 

32. Plan view of monorail bridge conveyor unit 35 

33. Inby unit of monorail bridge conveyor 35 

34. Pendant control for monorail bridge conveyor 37 

35. Monorail hardware 37 

36. Monorail track 38 

37. Monorail bridge conveyor used with hopper-feeder 38 

38. Monorail bridge conveyor interface with hopper-feeder 39 

39. Monorail bridge conveyor mine plan for room-and-pillar mining 39 

40. Monorail bridge conveyor mine plan for longwall panel entry development... 40 

41. Monorail bridge conveyor used with shortwall mining system 40 

42. Monorail bridge conveyor underground installed over a section belt 41 

43. Multiple-unit continuous haulage system 42 

44. Vehicle-to-vehicle mechanical linkage steering subsystem for multiple-unit 

continuous haulage 42 

45. Multiple-unit continuous haulage undercarriage showing installation of 

mechanical linkage steering subsystem 43 

46. Lead vehicle of multiple-unit continuous haulage system 43 

47. Intermediate vehicles of multiple-unit continuous haulage system 45 

48. Protective enclosure for multiple-unit continuous haulage lead vehicle.... 45 

49. Automated bridge conveyor train 47 

50. Automated bridge conveyor train centering itself about guidance cable 47 

51. Typical room-and-pillar mine plan for automated bridge conveyor train 48 

52. Inby unit of automated bridge conveyor train undergoing surface tests 49 

53. Flywheel-powered coal mine shuttle car 50 

54. Seven-rotor flywheel for flywheel-powered coal mine shuttle car 50 

55. Mission duty cycle of flywheel-powered coal mine shuttle car 50 

56. Energy storage system for seven-rotor flywheel of flywheel-powered coal 

mine shuttle car 51 

57. Energy used in duty cycle of flywheel-powered coal mine shuttle car 53 

58. Power system of flywheel-powered coal mine shuttle car 53 



ILLUSTRATIONS— -Cont inued 



iii 



Page 



59. Flip-top canopy, side view 54 

60. Flip-top canopy, rear view 55 

61. Flip-top canopy, front view 55 

62. Flip-top canopy showing head and leg room 57 

63. Flip— top canopy actuator control 57 

64. Flip-top canopy sling-type seat 58 

65. Maximum-capacity shuttle car 59 

66. Diesel-powered face haulage vehicle 59 

67. Mobile bridge conveyor operator compartment 60 

68. Flexible conveyor train 60 

69. Conveyor belt service machine 62 

70. Conveyor belt service machine with operator in tramming mode 62 

71. Conveyor belt service machine with hitch mechanism attached to belt 

tailpiece 64 

72. Scoop-mounted boom hoist 66 

7 3. Lift-transport mechanism 66 

74. Machine-mounted swivel crane 67 

75. Container-workstation transporter 68 

76. Timber car 69 

77. Diesel-powered f orklif t 70 

78. Track maintenance vehicle 71 

79. Track maintenance vehicle brush assembly 72 

80. Track maintenance vehicle material removal system 72 

81. Typical filter barricade for returning coal waste underground 74 

82. Returning coal waste underground, backfilling sequence — phase 1 75 

83. Returning coal waste underground, backfilling sequence — phase 2 75 

84. Returning coal waste underground, backfilling sequence — phase 3 76 

85. Flow of refuse material in returning coal waste underground 76 

86. Main components of Bureau's mining surface test facility 77 

87. View inside surface test facility staging area 77 

88. View inside surface test facility maneuverability trial area 78 

TABLES 

1. U.S. underground coal production for mines producing over 100,000 st 3 

2. Automated extraction system II specifications 6 

3. Umbrella miner specifications 12 

4. Specifications for remote operation of thin-seam continuous miner 16 

5. Variable wall miner system specifications 23 

6. Bidirectional auger specifications 26 

7. Hopper-feeder-bolter specifications 32 

8. Monorail bridge conveyor system specifications 36 

9. Multiple-unit continuous haulage system specifications 44 

10. Automated bridge conveyor train system specifications 48 

11. Flywheel-powered shuttle car specifications 52 

12. Comparison of various face haulage vehicles 54 

13. Specifications for shuttle car and flip-top canopy operator compartment... 56 

14. Conveyor belt service machine specifications 63 

15. Analysis of in-mine materials handling accidents 65 

16. Summary of major health and safety analysis findings 65 





UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED 


IN THIS REPORT 


A 


ampere 


kip/in 2 


kip per square inch 


A«h 


ampere hour 


kV«A 


kilovolt ampere 


deg 


degree 


kW 


kilowatt 


ft 


foot 


kW«h 


kilowatt hour 


ft 3 


cubic foot 


lb 


pound 


ft- lb 


foot pound 


lb/ft 


pound per foot 


f t/min 


foot per minute 


lbf/ft 2 


pound (force) per 
square foot 


ft 3 /min 


cubic foot per minute 










lbf/in 2 


pound (force) per 


gal 


gallon 




square inch 


gal/min 


gallon per minute 


mi/h 


mile per hour 


h 


hour 


min 


minute 


hp 


horsepower 


Vim 


micrometer 


Hz 


hertz 


pet 


percent 


in 


inch 


r/min 


revolution per minute 


in 2 


square inch 


s 


second 


in Hg 


inch of mercury 


st 


short ton 


in H 2 


inch of water 


st/h 


short ton per hour 


in*lb 


inch pound 


st/min 


short ton per minute 


in/rain 


inch per minute 


st/yr 


short ton per year 


in/r 


inch per revolution 


V ac 


volt, alternating current 


in/s 


inch per second 


V dc 


volt, direct current 


kA 


kiloampere 


W-h 


watt hour 


kHz 


kilohertz 


yr 


year 



COAL EXTRACTION, TRANSPORT, AND LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY 

FOR UNDERGROUND MINING 

By Robert J. Evans 1 and William D. Mayercheck 2 



ABSTRACT 

The Bureau of Mines is sponsoring a variety of long-term, high-risk 
research to advance state-of-the-art technology in U.S. underground coal 
mining. This report reviews the status of many Bureau projects that 
support fundamental underground coal mining operations; the project 
areas include cutting coal from the solid (extraction), hauling coal 
from the face (transport), and activities that sustain daily operations 
(logistics). Innovative equipment and technology have been developed, 
with these major objectives: to significantly improve coal mine produc- 
tivity, to further advance coal recovery and personal safety within the 
mining industry, and to reduce the time needed to develop longwall pan- 
els. The majority of the prototype equipment covered in this report 
either has undergone or will undergo comprehensive evaluation at Bureau 
surface test facilities so that performance and reliability can be im- 
proved before the equipment is tested and evaluated in a working section 
underground. 



_Civil engineer. 
Supervisory phy; 
Pittsburgh Research Center, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA. 



^Supervisory physical scientist. 



INTRODUCTION 



The prime reason for past growth in the 
coal industry has been the ability to 
provide a low-cost fuel to consumers. 
Future growth will also depend upon main- 
taining and improving the ability to 
remain competitive with other energy 
resources. To remain cost competitive, 
the coal industry requires innovative and 
efficient equipment that will provide 
more flexibility in the ever-changing 
underground conditions caused by the nec- 
essity of mining coal seams from deeper, 
thinner, dirtier, and gassier coalbeds. 

The U.S. mining industry is also en- 
countering increasingly stiffer competi- 
tion from foreign coal sources. While 
the United States is one of the world's 
largest producers and exporters of coal, 
this country could import as much as 10 
million st annually in the next decade, 
compared with 1.2 million st in 1984, 
according to both government and private 
analysts CO. Foreign coal competition, 
especially along the southeastern coastal 
States, is forcing U.S. coal to be more 
cost competitive with the international 
market. 

Foreign supplies of oil and natural gas 
during a time of national emergency could 
prove to be costly, insufficient, and 
unreliable. The dependence of the United 
States on foreign oil sources resulted in 
energy problems during the 1970's, as did 
the uncertainty of the domestic supply 
of natural gas. U.S. dependence on these 
uncertain sources of energy continues, 
even though 85 pet of the fossil fuel 
reserves of the United States are in the 
form of coal. 

The relative popularity of natural gas 
and oil over coal is largely due to 
the disadvantages of coal. Historically, 
coal has been a solid fuel that is diffi- 
cult to burn without adverse effects to 
the environment, which translate into 
relatively high capital costs for 

_ 

-'Underlined numbers in parentheses re- 
fer to items in the list of references at 
the end of this report. 



coal-fired powerplant construction and 
operation. However, new technologies, 
such as f luidized-bed combustion, that 
utilize coal without adverse effects to 
the environment may improve coal's mar- 
ketability (2). 

The Bureau of Mines embarked on a long- 
term, high-risk research and development 
program in the mid-1970's to introduce 
new technology into the mining industry 
to improve productivity and reduce the 
cost of coal. Innovation in underground 
coal mining equipment and techniques does 
not come about swiftly or easily, because 
of the capital-intensive and high-risk 
nature of the mining industry. Decades 
of research are usually required to de- 
velop mature products for use by the 
American mining industry. Abstracts of 
this long-term program have been included 
in a Bureau publication (3_) that covers 
the majority of the Bureau's work in es- 
tablishing new production technology in 
underground coal mine room-and-pillar and 
longwall entry development operations. 

The research results described in this 
report include only the portion of the 
Bureau's overall effort that relates to 
innovative mining equipment to improve 
mining efficiency through improved ex- 
traction, haulage, and logistical sys- 
tems. Improved resource recovery will 
also be achieved through the production 
of more efficient retreat mining equip- 
ment. This technology also addresses im- 
proved health and safety for the mining 
population by mechanizing or combining 
unit operations such as automated roof 
support systems, cutting extraction cy- 
cles, remote control, improved ventila- 
tion, and other advances related to un- 
derground mining operations. Although 
the various technologies described herein 
were designed and intended for use in 
U.S. deep coal mining operations, there 
may be other applications of these tech- 
nologies for noncoal deep mines, such 
as tunneling, and surface coal mining 
operations. 



Many coal companies, equipment manufac- 
turers, and other cooperators throughout 
the United States either have assisted or 



are assisting the Bureau in this program 
effort by testing prototype equipment in 
their underground coal mines. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



The authors want to extend their sin- 
cere appreciation to the following em- 
ployees of the Transport and Extraction 
Group of the Bureau's Pittsburgh Research 
Center for their technical input, which 
included background information, pro- 
totype machine specifications, and ver- 
sions of miscellaneous illustrations: 
Richard Farrar, mechanical engineer, for 
work on the automated extraction system, 
umbrella miner, variable wall miner sys- 
tem, and bidirectional auger; August 
Kwitowski, civil engineer, for work on 



the remote operating system, automated 
bridge conveyor train, and mobile bridge 
conveyor operator compartment; Jasinder 
Jaspal, raining engineer, for work on the 
multiple-unit continuous haulage system 
and conveyor belt service machine; John 
Bartels, civil engineer, for work on the 
flywheel-powered shuttle car and flip-top 
canopy; Richard Unger, civil engineer, 
for work on the materials handling de- 
vices and track maintenance vehicle; and 
Anthony Miscoe, mechanical engineer, for 
work on returning coal waste underground. 



COAL EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGY 



Extraction is one of the basic unit 
operations of the mining cycle (extrac- 
tion, loading, and haulage). In U.S. 
mines that produce more than 100,000 
st/yr, approximately two-thirds of the 
underground coal is extracted by continu- 
ous miner (CM), as shown in figure 1 and 
table 1. The remaining third is split 
between longwall and conventional mining, 
at roughly 17 pet each i^~]_) • In spite 
of its name, a CM does not cut and load 
coal continuously over a production 
shift. Because the law does not permit 
mining personnel to produce coal under 
unsupported roof, intermittent work stop- 
pages result from place changes between 
the roof bolter and the CM, in addition 
to waiting for shuttle cars to transport 
extracted coal. Most mining companies 
estimate the CM is available for produc- 
tion only about 70 pet of the time, with 



a failure occurring on the average once 
every 6 h of operation (8). 

The CM was first introduced after World 
War II, and during the interim, especial- 
ly during the past 10 yr, it has been 
steadily growing in power and size. The 
chief motivation for this evolution has 
been the desire by mine operators to in- 
crease productivity and to improve the 
capability to cut rock in seam inclusions 
along with the roof and floor. However, 
as the CM horsepower increases, the size 
of the equipment also increases , thereby 
reducing its mobility and flexibility. 
Any further increases in extraction 
productivity are not expected to come 
about through larger and more powerful 
machines. As a result, the Bureau has 
focused its extraction research in other 
areas. Novel extraction techniques, such 
as the unique cutting drum employed on 



TABLE 1. - U.S. underground coal production for mines producing over 100,000 st 



Year 


Longwall 


Conventional 


Continuous 


Total, 




10 3 st 


pet of total 


10 3 st 


pet of total 


10 3 st 


pet of total 


10 3 st 


1981 


39,099 


13 


59,885 


20 


200,614 


67 


299,425 




43,610 


13 


62,435 


19 


223,454 


68 


328,610 




48,122 


16 


55,747 


19 


189,892 


65 


292,142 


1984 


54,034 


16 


60,789 


18 


222,893 


66 


337,717 




57,816 


17 


57,8Q0 


17 


224,400 


66 


340,000 



KEY 
ESS) Continuous 
Rn^I Conventional 
-EZ3 Longwall 




1 



400 



350 



300 



<° o 250 



O 
H200 

a 
o 

£ 150 



100 



50 



1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 
YEAR 

FIGURE 1.-U.S. underground coal production by mining 
method. 



the umbrella miner has been surface 
tested and evaluated; and machines with 
combined unit operations for simultaneous 
coal extraction and roof support have 
been designed, fabricated, and surface 
tested. In addition, remote-control op- 
erating systems are being designed for 
mining machines that permit operation 
500 ft or more from the face (9). 

The following are Bureau contributions 
to advance the state of the art of coal 
extraction technology, aimed at introduc- 
ing more efficient and safer machines to 
improve productivity, resource recovery, 
and safety. 

Another novel coal extraction tech- 
nique being developed by the Bureau, not 



AUTOMATED EXTRACTION SYSTEM II 

Objectiv e 

To improve productivity and safety by 
combining extraction, roof bolting, and 
face ventilation into one machine. 

Justificatio n 

The automated extraction system (AES) 
II was conceived and developed to combat 
the intermittent and inefficient nature 
of the continuous mining cycle, resulting 
from delays due to place changing of the 
CM and the bolter and waiting for a shut- 
tle car. The AES II has the potential 
to significantly increase productivity 
by combining unit operations into one 
machine, which reduces place changing 
with the roof bolter, provides greater 
personal safety at the face because 
miners are always working under a sup- 
ported roof, and operates at a relatively 
lower cost because of increased effi- 
ciency. In addition, this system permits 
use of a continuous face haulage system 
rather than shuttle cars. The AES II is 
envisioned as the first step toward an 
automated mining system. 

Des cription 

The AES II (fig. 2) is a second-gener- 
ation 15-ft drum-type CM designed and 
fabricated by the National Mine Service 
Co. (NMSC) under U.S. Department of En- 
ergy (DOE) and Bureau contracts (1 1-14) . 
It has the capacity to mine coal under 
manual control or with an automated cut- 
ting cycle via an on-board programmable 
controller for seam heights ranging from 
6 ft 8 in to 10 ft in. In the auto- 
mated mode, the cutting head automatical- 
ly rises to the programmed height , sumps 
the designated distance, shears to the 
predetermined floor level, and cuts the 
cusp. It repositions itself after an 



covered in this report, 
assisted cutting (10). 



is water-jet- 




10'max 

6l"min 
height 



30 3 extended 



FIGURE 2.-Automated extraction system II. 



advance of 4 ft and repeats the cycle. 
During coal extraction, an operator under 
temporary roof support (TRS) uses manual 
control to install four roof bolts span- 
ning 15 ft. In addition, this machine 
features a self-advancing system for face 
ventilation and dust suppression. The 
machine specifications are listed in ta- 
ble 2, and the major machine components 
are shown in figure 3. A typical mine 
plan and cut sequence for break-to-break 
mining is shown in figure 4. Based on 
surface cutting trials, it is estimated 
the machine has production capabilities 
of 8 to 10 st/min with potential to mine 
2,400 st per shift. Three operators are 
required on the machine, one in each of 
the two bolter stations and the machine 
operator. 

Status 

Surface tests and evaluation work are 
under way at Bureau facilities, as shown 



in figure 5. A cooperator will be sought 
to test and evaluate the machine under- 
ground in a production mode after comple- 
tion of surface testing which is tenta- 
tively scheduled for early 1988. 

Several mechanical and electrical com- 
ponents developed under this program have 
already been incorporated into the design 
of commercial CM's sold by the NMSC. 5 
These components include (1) a 60° swing 
tail universal chain, (2) a cable remote- 
control pendant, (3) pilot-operated sole- 
noid valves (first used on the AES), and 
(4) an anticontamination water spray sys- 
tem, all available on the model 2460 low 
coal miner, and (5) gathering head clean- 
up wings available on all NMSC miners, 
such as models 2460, 3080, 3612, and 
5012. 

^Reference to specific products does 
not imply endorsement by the Bureau of 
Mines. 



TABLE 2. - Automated extraction system (AES) II specifications 

MACHINE ENVELOPE DIMENSIONS 

Overall machine length 35 ft 11 in. 

Cutting head width: 

Extended for mining 15 ft. 

Retracted 13 ft 4 in. 

Weight 145,000 lb. 

Minimum tram height 5 ft 1 in. 

Ground clearance 6 in. 

Mining range (with 12-in tram top clearance) 6 ft 8 in to 10 ft. 

TRACTOR FRAME 

Ground clearance 6 in. 

Track type Piano hinge. 

Track width 21 in. 

Track length 9 ft 4 in. 

Track ground pressure: 

In tram mode 31 lbf/in . 

In mining mode 21 lbf/in . 

TRAM DRIVE 

Maximum belt pull 50,000 lb per side. 

Speeds 13.3 and 40 ft/min. 

Motors, water-cooled (2) 20 hp , 865 r/min; 50 hp, 

1,715 r/min. 
CUTTER DRUM 1 

Drum (outside diameter) 3 ft. 

Reach: 

Above grade 10 ft. 

Below grade 5 in. 

CUTTER DRUM DRIVE 

Motors, water-cooled (2) .- 200 hp , 1,200 r/min. 

Drum speed 57 r/min. 

Bit speed 535 ft/min. 

GATHERING HEAD (DISK TYPE) 

Width: Mining mode 15 ft. 

Disk size: 

Large 4 ft 5 in. 

Small 2 ft 6 in. 

Disk speed: 

Large 70 r/min. 

Small 177 r/min. 

Drive motors, water-cooled (2) 25 hp, 1,750 r/min. 

COAL HAULAGE CHAIN CONVEYOR 

Width 2 ft 6 in. 

Depth 5 in. 

Speed 350 ft/min. 

Loading rate at 5-in coal depth 10 st/min. 

Swing angle left or right of centerline 60°. 

Drive type Rear hydraulic. 



May be increased. 



TABLE 2. - Automated extraction system (AES) II specifications — Continued 

ROOF SUPPORT-OPERATOR PROTECTION SYSTEM 2 
Support cylinders, 2-stage (4): 

Bore 7.7 and 5.5 in. 

Rated pressure 3,000 lbf /in 2 . 

Roof load capacity at rated pressure 142 st total at 3,000 

lbf/in 2 . 

Contour-conforming roof support 2 (1 per side). 

Mine roof contact areas 18 (9 on each side). 

Av mine roof contact load pressure at cylinder capacity.... 260 and 140 lbf/in 2 . 

HYDRAULIC PUMP DRIVE 

1,200-r/min water-cooled motors (3) 2, 60 hp; 1, 1,200 hp. 

PUMPS 

Roof drills (4) 30 gal/min per gear. 

Scrubbers (1) Do. 

Cylinders (1) to 37.6 gal/min per 

piston. 

Chain conveyor (1) 30 gal/min per gear. 

Hydraulic oil reservoir capacities (3) 2, 90 gal; 1, 120 gal. 

ROOF DRILLS (4) 

Feed rate (maximum) 26 f t/min. 

Torque (maximum) 300 ft'lb. 

Thrust (maximum) 8,000 lb. 

ROOF DRILL DRY DUST COLLECTION 

4 blowers 70 ft 5 /min at 12 in Hg. 

Blower type Positive displacement , 

2-rotor lobe type. 

Motors (2) 7.5 hp. 

Dust collectors 4 (1 per drill). 

Dust collectors type 3-stage: 2 centrifugal, 

1 media-type filter. 

Manufacturer Donaldson (modified) . 

VENTILATION FAN (1) 

Type Electrically driven, 

axial flow, 2-speed. 
Capacity: 

High-speed 7,000 ft 3 /min, at 12 

in H 2 0. 

Low-speed 3.7 hp at 3,600 r/min. 

Electric motor drive: 

High speeds 15 hp at 3,600 r/min. 

Low speeds 3.7 hp at 3,600 r/min. 

AIR SCRUBBERS (2) 

Type Centrifugal, wet 

impingement. 

Manufacturer T. J. Gundlach. 

Capacity 2,000 f t/min each. 

Water requirement 3 gal/min each. 

Roof contour conforming. 



Dust collector 

blower housing ^Ventilation 

air intakes 
Sumping 

cylinder 



60° ypical )// 




15' extended 
I3'4"retracted 
14' tramming 



10'extended 
5' retracted 



Contour- conforming 
roof support 

Vent duct outlet 



Sumping 
cylinder 



Ventilation 
air intakes 




80" max 
30" min 

i 



10 max height 
"-36" 6, " min nei 9 nt 



Roof drill dust 
collectors 



FIGURE 3.- Automated extraction system machine components. 




UMBRELLA MINER 



Objective 



FIGURE 4.-Typical mine plan and cut sequence for 
break-to-break mining with automated extraction system. 



To improve productivity and safety by 
developing a full-face raining machine 
that simultaneously extracts coal and 
bolts the roof within 8 ft of the face. 

Justification 

A major impediment in improving produc- 
tivity in room-and-pillar mining is the 
place changes between the miner and bolt- 
er, which occur about every 20 ft of ad- 
vance. These moves are costly in terms 
of lost production, machine wear and 
tear, and increased personnel hazards due 
to moving machinery. To satisfy the need 
for increased productivity and safety, 
Fairchild Research and Development, Inc., 
patented and developed the umbrella miner 
concept in 1976. When development funds 
became exhausted, government funding was 
secured in July 1981 to complete fabrica- 
tion. In August 1984, this machine was 
shipped to the Bureau for surface test- 
ing and evaluation prior to underground 
trials. 

Description 

This machine is designated the "umbrel- 
la miner" because the 20-ft-wide cutting 
head folds back around the side of the 
machine into two 10-ft sections, as shown 
in figure 6, reducing the miner width to 
16 ft 10 in for easier tramming after 
each 100- to 200-ft advance. This ma- 
chine, with specifications as shown in 
table 3, is designed to operate in a 54- 
to 72-in coal seam. It is designed to 



10 




FIGURE 5. --Automated extraction system at Bureau's surface test facilities. 




Front pivot locked 



Bolter modules 
in tram position 

Pivot slide extended 



I7'2" 



Miner conveyor 



Possible bolter 
module positions 




FIGURE 6.-Umbrella miner with augers in tramming mode. 



FIGURE 7. -Umbrella miner straight-ahead mining. 



11 



*U>m>W.jilh>tfjii.uHliiflU|uA/WUWiaA 



10- ft auger head — 
left and right 




GO 


SI 




m 


a 


SI 


13 




m 


01 


B 


IS 


20 


® 


pi 








B 


El 




a 


a 



Bolter modules and temporary 
roof support crawler mounted 
(2 roof drills each) 



Front crawlers 
Front conveyor 



Miner cab 



s — Rear conveyor 



-Rear crawlers 



FIGURE 8.--Umbrella miner turning a crosscut. 



advance at least 100 ft with the con- 
figuration shown in figure 7, turn a 90° 
crosscut as shown in figure 8, and ad- 
vance at least another 100 ft before it 
moves to a new location. This machine 
consists of modules, as shown in figure 
9, comprising augers, conveyors, and 
bolters. Roof bolting is accomplished 
with two manual roof drills mounted sepa- 
rately in each of two mobile crawler- 
mounted steel structures that include 
temporary roof support. Figure 10 shows 
that these bolter modules are independent 
of the miner and are connected only by an 
umbilical cord of hydraulic hoses, giving 
them flexibility to move sideways, for- 
ward, and backward in order to mount 
bolts on 4-ft centers. The minimum work- 
ing crew consists of one machine opera- 
tor, two roof bolters, and two utility 
persons behind each bolter to handle sup- 
plies and ventilation. Panic bars will 
be installed on the CM and bolters to 
protect the bolter operators from any 
potential hazards. 






Right cutter auger module Right bolter module 



Operator station 




Oil reservoir 



jj!>. .-&. .-<>■ .-Q-.. 



Lrj_rxj7r:i_LLi_i 



0= 



J 



Left bolter module 
Left cutter auger module 



m 

CD 

J 



Electrical enclosure 



i 1^ 



r 




34"min when mining 
42 max when tramming 



51' I /_ when mining 



,L. 



55' 3/" while tramming with augers in mining position 
lb 



50'4 / " While tramming with augers in folded position 



FIGURE 9.--Major components of umbrella miner. 



12 

TABLE 3. - Umbrella miner specifications 

MACHINE ENVELOPE DIMENSIONS 
Overall machine length: 

Mining mode 51 ft 1-9/16 in. 

Extended pivot hitch 55 ft 3-1/16 in. 

Cutters folded, extended hitch 50 ft 4-3/16 in. 

Face to first pivot 17 ft 2 in. 

Mining width 20 ft. 

Tram width (cutters folded back) 16 ft 10 in. 

Weight 120,000 lb. 

Height (bolter module temporary roof support retracted).... 4 ft 4 in. 

Ground clearance to 6 in. 

Mining range 54 to 72 in. 

Mining capacity (6-ft seam) 1,152 st per unit shift, 

Roof bolt to face distance 8 ft. 

Roof bolters (2), crawler-mounted modules 2 bolters per module, 

bolts installed 4 ft 
to center. 

Machine horsepower (total) 560 hp. 

140-hp electric motors (4 — 2 for cutterheads and 2 for 1,775 r/mirt, 950 V ac, 
hydraulic power supply). 3-phase. 

Coal cutting heads, 2, each 10 ft long: 

Bit tip-to-tip diameter 2 ft 8 in. 

Speed. 48 r/min. 

Shear height 6 ft. 

Sump depth (3- to 16-in increments) 4 ft. 

Below grade cut 2 in. 

140-hp Louis Allis drive motors, 1 per head 1,775 r/min, 950 V ac, 

3-phase. 
SUMP CYLINDER (2 — 1 PER CUTTERHEAD) 

Diameter 5-in bore, 3— in rod. 

Sump force at 1,500 lbf/in 2 29,452 lb. 

Stroke 4 ft 1 in. 

Sump rate 40 in/min. 

SHEAR CYLINDER (4 — 2 PER CUTTERHEAD) 

Diameter 7— in bore , 3— in rod. 

Force at 1,500 lbf/in 2 : 

Up 115,454 lb per head. 

Down 94,248 lb per head. 

Stroke 11 in. 

COAL HAULAGE CHAIN CONVEYORS 
(GATHERING, 2—1 PER CUTTERHEAD) 

Capacity 6 st/min. 

Speed 250 f t/min. 

Drive, hydraulic motors (2) 5 hp, 224 r/min. 



13 



TABLE 3. - Umbrella miner specifications — Continued 

FRONT-INBY UNIT 

Width 2 ft. 

Depth 7 in. 

Speed 438 f t/min. 

Capacity 11 st/min. 

Drive, hydraulic motors (2) 8 hp, 327 r/min. 

REAR-OUTBY UNIT 

Width 2 ft. 

Depth 7 in. 

Speed 440 f t/min. 

Capacity 11 st/min. 

Drive, hydraulic motor 15 hp, 327 r/min. 

CRAWLERS (4 PAIR) 
Front unit pair: 

Speed to 55 f t/min. 

Drive hydraulic motors (2) 40 hp. 

Ground pressure 28 lbf /in . 

Rear unit pair: 

Speed to 55 f t/min. 

Drive hydraulic motors (2) 40 hp. 

Ground pressure 13 lbf /in . 

Articulation 360° swivel. 

CRAWLER-MOUNTED ROOF BOLTER MODULES (2) 

Speed to 35 f t/min. 

Drive hydraulic motors (2) 15 hp. 

Ground pressure 11 lbf /ft . 

Roof drills per module 2. 

TEMPORARY ROOF SUPPORTS (TRS) JACKS (3 PER MODULE) 

Bore diameter 6-1/2 in. 

Rod diameter 5 in. 

Force at 850 lbf /in 2 each cylinder 28,205 lb. 

TRS roof contact pads , 7 per module 10-in diara. 

Hydraulic power supply 6 hydraulic circuits. 

PUMPS (4) 

Dynex single flow (2) to 60 gal/min. 

Dynex split flow (2) to 30 gal/min. 

DRIVE 

Electric motors (2) 140 hp each. 



14 




FIGURE 10. -Umbrella miner chain conveyor system. 



Status 



REMOTE OPERATING SYSTEM 



Surface testing of the first prototype 
unit of the umbrella miner concept (fig. 
11) revealed that the concept has consid- 
erable potential for accomplishing the 
goal of continuous break-to-break mining; 
that is, mining and bolting the roof 
simultaneously. However, testing also 
revealed that this machine is not ready 
to be taken underground for testing and 
evaluation, a situation not unexpected 
for a first prototype device (15-16). 
Negotiations are under way with Fairchild 
to return the machine to its shops for 
additional modifications under a memoran- 
dum of agreement. 



Objective 

To provide greater operator protection 
by remotely operating a thin-seam mining 
machine 500 ft or more from the face. 

Justification 

The safety of underground workers can 
be dramatically increased by removing 
them from the coal extraction face. This 
is particularly true when a conventional, 
remotely controlled, thin-seam contin- 
uous miner (TSCM) is used, which normally 
requires an operator within 25 ft of the 



15 




FIGURE 11. -Umbrella miner in surface test facility. 



extraction face. Removal of TSCM opera- 
tors and their helpers from the hazard 
areas would also increase their comfort 
and reduce the incidence of associated 
health and congestion problems. 

It is extremely difficult to provide an 
operator's compartment with a canopy com- 
plete with safety provisions and human 
engineering on a CM designed for coal 
seams less than 42 in. One alternative 
that would provide maximum protection in 
thin seams would be to control the mining 
machine with a tethered cable or radio 
remote control so that the operator is 
out of sight of the miner and coal face. 



This approach allows available space to 
be fully utilized for protection and com- 
fort of the operator while providing full 
operational controls and displays. Re- 
moving mining personnel from the coal ex- 
traction face constitutes the first step 
in development of a worker-free mining 
system. 

The remote operating system (ROS) rep- 
resents the Bureau's initial effort in an 
area that holds great promise for signif- 
icantly increasing operator safety, al- 
lowing extended flexibility in selecting 
mining strategies, and expanding the re- 
covery of coal reserves. 



16 



Description system to supervise communications be- 
tween the operator station and the TSCM. 
An ROS will be retrofitted to a modi- A continuous face haulage system, also 
fied Jeffrey model 102HP TSCM (Jeffrey remotely controlled, will complete the 
Mining Machine Division of Dressor Indus- mining system. No roof bolting will be 
tries, Inc.). The mining system will be conducetd with this system. An ROS pro- 
composed of the remotely controlled miner totype is shown in figure 14, and the 
(fig. 12), a human-engineered operator machine specifications are given in table 
station (fig. 13), and an electronics 4. 

TABLE 4. - Specifications for remote operation of thin-seam 
continuous miner (TSCM) 

GENERAL 

Height (including cameras) (estimated) 3 ft 2 in. 

Length 23 ft 5 in. 

Width 9 ft 6 in. 

Ground clearance 5-3/4 in. 

Weight 44, 500 lb. 

Tram speed 60 f t/min. 

CHAIN CONVEYOR 

Width 2 ft 6 in. 

Depth 6 in. 

Speed 26 f t/min. 

COAL CUTTING 

Extraction width (single pass) 10 ft 1 in. 

Seam height 34 to 45 in. 

Auger diameter 2 ft 2 in. 

Auger speed 104 r/min. 

Sump advance 18 in. 

Sump speed to 6 f t/min. 

CONTROL SYSTEM 

Type Out-of -sight remote. 

Communications Computer-controlled via 

hard wire between operator 
compartment and continuous 
miner. 

Visual Two closed-circuit tele- 
vision cameras on miner 
transmit to monitors 
located within the remote 
operator compartment. 

Aural Sound and voice 

synthesizer. 

Other displays in operator compartment Temperatures, pressures, 

voltages, depth of sump, 
height of cutting head, 

etc. 

NOTE. — The remote operating system is designed to interface with a Jeffrey MMD mod- 
el 101 or 102 continuous miner. Therefore, many of the system specifications relate 
to the physical size of these two models. System specifications listed above apply 
to underground room-and-pillar deep mining and surface highwall mining as well. 



17 




FIGURE 12.-Continuous miner designed for remote operation. 




FIGURE 13-Artist's illustration of remote operator compartment. 



18 





b m* 






FIGURE 14.-Prototype remote operator compartment. 



Retrofitting to the TSCM includes the 
addition of two color television cameras, 
an explosion-proof housing containing the 
electronics package, and pressure, tem- 
perature, current, and linear displace- 
ment sensors. The electronics system 
will employ two microprocessor systems, 
the master system in the operator station 
and the other on the TSCM. Operator com- 
mands, video signals, and sensory data 
will be transmitted between the station 
and the TSCM over several small-diameter 
cables run alongside the standard power 
and water lines. Displays and controls 
will be located in front of the operator 
via an ergonomically designed operator 
workstation. Two color television moni- 
tors will provide visual input. An as- 
sortment of digital and analog displays 
will provide information pertaining to 
the operation and nonoperation of the 



miner, originating from sensors mounted 
on the TSCM. The operator will also be 
provided with two forms of aural com- 
munication: a microphone on the TSCM to 
transmit face sounds and a voice synthe- 
sizer to provide selected operational in- 
formation during periods of peak visual 
input. The operator will control the 
TSCM from a panel situated below the two 
monitors, which will allow the actuation 
of the same functions as those normally 
used to operate the TSCM via a tethered 
control box (17). 

The continuous face haulage system to 
be utilized in this system will be the 
Buereau-developed multiple unit contin- 
uous haulage system, which is covered in 
detail in a later section of this report. 
The underground cooperator has the re- 
sponsibility to make the haulage system 
compatible with the ROS of the TSCM. 



19 



Status 

Simulated coal cutting tests commenced 
at Bureau facilities in 1987. Negotia- 
tions are being conducted with a coopera- 
tor for coal extraction in a surface min- 
ing highwall operation with a general 
configuration as shown in figure 15. 

VARIABLE WALL MINER SYSTEM 

Objective 

To eliminate cyclic production delays 
of the CM system by combining cutting, 
conveying, and roof support into a single 
rotary machine with a face width up to 
500 ft and production capacity approach- 
ing 5,000 st per shift. 

Justification 

The variable wall miner system (VWMS) 
is a relatively low-cost alternative for 
longwall mining. Other applications for 



the machine Include pillaring in room- 
and-pillar retreat mining and thin-seam 
applications. The VWMS, though novel, is 
perceived to be free of high development 
risk, because coal will be extracted by 
auger scrolling, which is considered ex- 
isting technology. 

Description 

The VWMS, as shown in the artist's 
drawing (fig. 16), is comprised of a 
string of side-cutting augers connected 
end to end and distributed across a coal 
face of arbitrary length of up to 500 ft, 
which are used to cut and transport coal 
along the face to a centralized output 
conveyor. Self-advancing roof supports 
(chocks or shields) are used to follow 
the advancing auger, as in longwall 
mining. The auger is articulated so 
that one or more segments may be engaged 
in cutting at any time as the coal is 
transported along the face by the screw 
action of the auger scroll (fig. 17). 




FIGURE 15.-Using remote operation for mining a thin seam in a surface mining highwall. 



20 



(-Refracting shield 




Sumping 




FIGURE 16. -End and plan views of variable wall miner system. 




FIGURE 17.-Surface-testing of variable wall miner system. 



21 



Figure 18 shows the auger isolated from 
the roof supports and labor crew by a 
shroud composed of metal and rubber to 
reduce dust exposure to the workers. The 
auger string articulation (figs. 19-20) 
is accomplished by use of heavy-duty uni- 
versal joints connecting auger sections 
together and sump cylinders that can be 
sequentially sumped to produce a "wave" 
motion of the auger string. 

The VWMS was patented by Letcher T. 
White under U.S. patent 3,524,680 on 
August 18, 1970. The original concept 
had an auger with a diameter of 56 in, a 
500-ft-long string length made up of 40 
auger sections, and shields used for roof 
support for operation in a coal seam of 
56 to 78 in height. Horsepower require- 
ments were estimated to be 1,850 hp. A 
Bureau contract was awarded to Southwest 
Research Institute in 1976 to perform 
preliminary and detailed design, and to 
fabricate and surface-test a reduced- 
scale VWMS prototype unit (18-19). This 
work resulted in a successful surface 



test of the VWMS in a sulfur-compo- 
sition simulated coal block in 1981. The 
reduced-scale version (figs. 17, 21), had 
an auger diameter of 28 in, a string 
length of 40 ft, and a 10-in shear stroke 
for use in coal seams from 30 to 38 in. 
A complete listing of the specifications 
is shown in table 5. 

Status 

The results and conclusions of the 
surface-test cutting trials at Southwest 
Research Institute for the scaled-down 
version of the VWMS indicate that the 
machine has significant potential to im- 
prove productivity and safety. With a 
28-in cutting orbit and 40-ft length, the 
VWMS was viewed by coal mining industry 
personnel during surface testing as a 
machine with many applications, espe- 
cially room-and-pillar retreat mining. 
Surface testing and evaluation have been 
proposed to improve reliability and es- 
tablish machine parameters. 




FIGURE 18.-End view of variable wall miner auger string. 



22 



Support bearing 15- in ID 

25*4- in swing diam 
SIDE ELEVATION 
14"—, 



36-in OD auger 
welded to shaft 



42-in cutting 
circlediam 



Shear 
cylinder 



Sump 
cylinder 



Floor plate (removed 
in plan view) 



Hydraulic and electrical 
passageway (not shown 
in plan view) 




Space for 
control valves 



/Auxiliary roof support jacks 
(hold plow onfloor during 
down cutting shear cycle) 

(2 per plow section at"A") 



Shear cylinder 



Sump cylinder retracted 



FIGURE 19. -Variable wall miner face assembly. 



BIDIRECTIONAL AUGER 



Objective 



To develop a more efficient and safer 
method for retreat mining by developing a 
machine for augering pillars, with a pro- 
duction capacity of 250 st per shift to 
maximize resource recovery. 

Justification 

The roora-and-pillar mining practice 
used in underground mining of coal recov- 
ers only approximately 50 pet of the coal 
available; the other 50 pet is left in 
place as pillars to support the mine roof 
for immediate mine stability and safety 
for mining personnel and, in the longer 
term, for prevention of subsidence on the 
surface where land use is such that sub- 
sidence cannot be tolerated. Where sub- 
sidence is permitted, some attempts are 
made to mine portions of or almost all of 
the pillars during a retreat mining mode. 



This is a dangerous operation because the 
mine roof is continually collapsing be- 
hind the miners and always poses a threat 
to them as the pillars are being rained 
out. 

Description 

The bidirectional auger (fig. 22) is a 
single-chassis unit supported by four 
steerable driving wheels. Two augers, 
each 4 ft in diameter and 10 ft long, are 
mounted across the machine frame, with 
one auger facing out the left side of the 
machine and the other the right side 
(bidirectionally). Each auger can be 
sumped 10 ft, and each is sumped and ro- 
tated individually into the nearest coal 
rib. The machine is 25 ft long, 13 ft 
4 in wide, and 5 ft 5 in high and weighs 
44,000 lb. Complete specifications are 
given in table 6. Figure 23 illustrates 
operation of the bidirectional auger in 
a mine. Figure 24 shows a typical mine 
ventilation plan for pillar extraction. 



23 



TABLE 5. - Variable wall miner system (VWMS) specifications 



Machine item or function 



Prototype, 
28-in diara 



Original concept, 
56-in diam 



Cutting orbit 

Section length 

Auger pitch 

Sump stroke 

Shear stroke 

Maximum sump joint angle... 
Maximum shear joint angle.. 

Sump production 

Shear production 

Shaft diameter 

Shaft thickness 

Universal joint, Koelling.. 

Rotary speed 

Sump-shear advance rate.... 

Do 

Sump-shear cycle time...... 

Sump-shear wave velocity... 

Sump cutting rate 

Shear cutting rate 

For a 500-ft face: 

Production time 

Clearance time 

Cycle time 

Production rate (270 min) 

Conveying power 

Cutting power 

Total power required 



in. 

, in. 

in. 

, in. 

, in. 

deg. 

• deg. 

,st/section. 

st/section. 

, in. 

i in. 

i in. 

r/min. 

i in/r. 

in/s. 



s. 

f t/min. 
st/min. 
st/min. 



mm. 

, min. 

min. 

st/unit shift. 



.hp. 
.hp. 
.hp. 



56 

94 

56 

22 

22 

12.9 

12.9 

2.23 

1.25 

24 

0.5 

9.5 

40 

2 

1.3 

16.9 

55.4 

15.8 

8.9 

9.0 

2.7 

11.7 

5,130 

1,250 

600 

1,850 



Each auger is cradled in a trough, which 
channels cut coal to the chain conveyor. 
The chain conveyor lies in the trough 
along the bottom of the auger miner for 
its full length. Each trough can also be 
sumped up to the rib so that a tubular 
gasket fastened to the end of the trough 
seats against the rib to minimize spil- 
lage. Coal, cut by sumping the cutting 
head into the rib, is carried to the cen- 
ter of the machine by the auger flight- 
ing, where it is discharged onto the 
chain conveyor. At the outby end (dis- 
charge end), the conveyor is elevated, 
enabling coal to be discharged into a 
shuttle car. To minimize float dust, 
water sprays located overhead on the end 
of each auger trough spray water downward 
at the borehole opening. Water sprays 
are also located on the outby end of the 



conveyor. Methane is ventilated from 
the borehole by fresh air blown into 
the borehole through the hollow stem of 
each auger. A pair of angled floor jacks 
for each auger stabilizes the machine 
by transmitting cutting head thrust loads 
into the mine floor. Four roof and 
floor jacks provide roof support during 
drilling. 

The auger miner is supported on four 
steerable wheels with foam-filled rubber 
tires. Each wheel is driven by a hydrau- 
lic motor through a planetary gear reduc- 
er. Two modes of steering are provided: 
four-wheel steer and crab steer. Four- 
wheel steer provides good mobility for 
turning corners from entry to crosscut. 
Crab steer allows the bidirectional auger 
to move from rib to rib, from borehole 
to borehole, while remaining parallel to 



24 




FIGURE 20,-Closeup view of variable wall miner auger. 



the rib. All functions of the auger 
miner are performed hydraulically. Pumps 
mounted to each end of a 150-hp electric 
motor provide hydraulic power. 

The auger miner is controlled remotely 
by a tethered cable (fig. 25) connected 
to the auger miner electrical system at 
any one of three connectors located at 
three corners of the machine. Steering, 
tramming, and tram speed are accomplished 
at the remote-control unit by movement of 
a joystick, lever. 



Status 

The bidirectional auger was tested 
underground at the Peabody Coal Co. 's 
Marissa Mine in Illinois from August 24, 
1981, to June 11, 1982. During this tri- 
al period many breakdowns occurred and 
considerable redesign and rebuild were 
necessary. The machine drilled 304 holes 
and mined 1,520 st of coal with shift 
production ranging from 5 to 120 st per 
shift. Some success was obtained in 



25 




FIGURE 21.--View of partial auger string and connecting shafting. 




FIGURE 22.-Bidirectional auger prior to in-mine trials. 



26 

TABLE 6. - Bidirectional auger specifications 

GENERAL 
Overall dimensions: 

Length 25 ft. 

Width 13 ft 4 in. 

Height 5 ft 5 in. 

For shipping or installation, reducible to: 

Length 19 ft 7 in. 

Width 9 ft. 

Height 3 ft 3 in. 

Total weight 44,000 lb. 

Main frame 28,000 lb. 

Carriages 16,000 lb. 

Floor jacks: 

Bearing area per pad 63 in . 

Total bearing area 252 in 2 . 

Stroke 9 in. 

Load capacity per jack 14 st. 

Total load capacity 56 st. 

Locking mechanism Mechanical roof and floor jack. 

Roof jacks: 

Bearing area per pad 63 in . 

Total bearing area 252 in . 

Stroke 19-1/2 in. 

Load capacity per jack 13 st. 

Total load capacity 52 st. 

Locking mechanism Mechanical roof and floor jack. 

Roof and floor jack (concurrent) operations: 

Extend (full stroke) 13 s. 

Retract (full stroke) 8 s. 

Ground pressure 115 lbf/in . 

Ground clearance 10 in. 

Steering Selectable 4-wheel (optional 

2-wheel front or rear). 

Required entry width for single-maneuver 90° turn... 16 ft. 

Brakes Spring applied-pressure 

release. 

Grade holding ability 36— pet slope (21°). 

Gradability 27-pct slope (15°). 

ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT 

Hydraulic system capacity 120 gal, water cooled. 

Dust suppression system Water spray at each auger troat 

and on conveyor discharge. 

Water requirements 5 gal/min at 60 lbf/in . 

Fire suppression system Dry-chemical discharge. 

Methane detection system Bacharach dual-channel monitor. 

Lighting 3 fluorescent area lights , 

2 incandescent floodlights. 

Borehole ventilation (through hollow auger stems)... Roots blower 175 ft /min. 

POWER AND PERFORMANCE 

Pump motor, Louis Allis electrical, 150 hp contin- 440 V ac, 60 Hz, 200 kV'A, 

uous, 196 hp intermittent. 1,750 r/min. 

Auger pump, Sunstrand hydraulic, series 26, variable 100 gal/min at 3,000 lbf/in . 
displacement. 



27 




FIGURE 23. -Conceptual plan for partial pillar extraction with bidirectional auger. 



increasing coal recovery from pillars; 
the increase amounted to 2 pet. The ma- 
chine appeared to have potential for min- 
ing 250 st per shift or greater but was 
limited by sump rates. Lack of machine 
power, thrust capability, machine stabil- 
ity, and optimum cutter bit lacing were 
the major stumbling blocks. 



Despite some early setbacks, the bi- 
directional auger is still perceived by 
the Bureau to have significant potential 
to warrant additional modifications and 
surface testing to achieve the goal of 
improved productivity and reliability in 
retreat mining. 



COAL TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY 



Haulage is one of the basic unit oper- 
ations of the coal mining cycle (cut- 
ting, loading, and haulage). There are 
three major types of haulage underground: 
(1) primary, which transports coal to the 
surface, (2) secondary, which transports 
coal from the section to the primary 
system, and (3) face haulage, which 
transports coal from the face to the sec- 
ondary system. Haulage from the coal 
face generally involves the shortest haul 
distance but has the greatest effect upon 
production. Shuttle cars are the major 



form of face haulage, and eliminating 
delays from the intermittent operation 
of shuttle cars offers the greatest pos- 
sibility for improving production. Face 
haulage accidents have been a major 
source of concern, second only to roof 
and rib falls in producing serious injur- 
ies and fatalities. 

Mine haulage systems must be designed 
to be safe, dependable, and flexible to 
cope with changing physical conditions 
in the mine; above all, they must be 
cost effective. Attempts to establish 



28 




FIGURE 24. -Typical ventilation plan for pillar extraction with bidirectional auger. 



continuous face haulage systems acceler- 
ated with the introduction of the CM (20- 
27 ) . Chain and belt conveyors have been 
adapted to continuous haulage from the 
CM, beginning with the simple bridge 
systems, followed by extensible belts, 
bridge conveyor systems, and modular in- 
terconnected conveyors. The following is 
a summary of the projects the Bureau has 
undertaken to advance the state of the 
art of face haulage. 



HOPPER-FEEDER-BOLTER 



Objective 



To improve productivity by developing a 
multifunctional machine to minimize two- 
pass CM place changes by combining in one 
machine roof bolting, lump breaking, and 
a surge car to interface between a miner 
and a face haulage system. 



29 




FIGURE 25.~Bidirectional auger underground in an Illinois coal mine. 



Justification 

This machine was conceived to solve a 
variety of problems that limit productiv- 
ity of room-and-pillar mining systems: 

1. The maximum instantaneous output 
of a CM is typically greater than the in- 
stantaneous haulage rate of the outby 
continuous haulage systems; the hopper- 
feeder-bolter (HFB) provides compatible 
surge capacity for the CM output and lev- 
els out the coal and rock input for the 
continuous haulage system. 

2. Production delays occur when large 
pieces of coal or rock must be broken 
manually before being transported through 
a continuous haulage system; the HFB pro- 
vides an on-board lump breaker. 

3. Production time is lost when a CM 
and roof bolter place-change; because the 
HFB can bolt beside a two-pass CM, the 



number of entry-to-entry place changes is 
decreased; entry-to-entry place changes 
are replaced with side-topside equipment 
changes in place. 

A two-pass continuous mining system 
using the HFB has many of the poten- 



tial productivity 
bolter. 

Description 



advantages of a miner- 



The HFB is a prototype multifunction 
mining machine that was conceived by the 
Bureau and designed and fabricated by the 
Engineered Systems and Development Corp. 
under Bureau contract J0333940. The HFB 
(fig. 26) consists of two crawler-mounted 
chassis: a hopper-feeder and a bolter 
(fig. 27), which are connected by a tele- 
scoping boom. The hopper-feeder chassis 
has the capacity to level out CM coal and 



30 




FIGURE 26.-Hopper-feeder-bolter in surface test facility. 




FIGURE 27.-Bolter module of hopper-feeder-bolter. 



31 



rock surges from 12 to 7 st/min, and a 
lump breaker near the tail end crushes 
against a universal chain conveyor. The 
conveyor on the outby end has a 45° in- 
clined heavy-duty swing tail boom that 
transports coal to the next stage of 
haulage. The bolter chassis contains 
two manual mast-type bolter assemblies. 
Specifications for the HFB are presented 
in table 7. Figure 28 shows components 
of the HFB. 

The hopper-feeder chassis can be oper- 
ated from two locations: (1) The main 
control panel, consisting of a single row 
of toggle switches, is located on the 
right side of the hopper-feeder and is 
used to operate all functions, and (2) a 
remote-control handheld unit (fig. 29) 
is available for the machine, which can 
be used to operate all major functions 
except bolting. 

The sequence of operator-and-machine 
movement for the HFB and a CM are 



presented in figure 30. This sequence 
could be used with either intermittent 
or continuous face haulage methods. The 
sequence was designed to achieve the 
following objectives: (1) keep personnel 
from entering under unsupported roof, 

(2) keep personnel from passing between 
moving equipment and the mine rib, 

(3) keep the bolter module at least 10 ft 
from the miner cutterhead, and (4) keep 
the HFB hopper as close as possible to 
the miner discharge boom (28-30) . Al- 
though the raining system is designed 
to keep the bolter module at least 10 ft 
from the miner cutterhead, panic bars 
will be installed on the two-pass CM 
adjacent to where the bolter operator 
would be working. These panic bars, 
which are activated by touch, will shut 
the mining machine down and protect the 
bolter operator from any unexpected haz- 
ardous situation. 



Optional bolter module assembly 



Boom traverse 
drive motor Pump motor 



Main control panel 

Hydraulic reservoir 

Secondary dust collector _ 
box and vacuum pump/~ Lonve y° r 
motor 



9'7" 




2-drill-head 
roof bolter 



Conveyor 
swing cylinder 



Tram motor 
Conveyor 
elevation cylinders 



PLAN 



Temporary 
roof support 
cylinders -nS- 



Breaker motor 



Breaker 
speed reducer 




maximum extension 

ELEVATION 

FIGURE 28.-Major components of hopper-feeder-bolter. 



Not to scale 



32 



TABLE 7. - Hopper-feeder-bolter (HFB) specifications 

(Overall machine length: 48 ft 8 in with boom fully extended) 

CHASSIS 

Power 460 V ac. 

Height 4 ft. 

Width 9 ft 7 in. 

Length 26 ft 9 in. 

Weight 49,500 lb. 

Crawler tracks (2) 16 by 84 in. 

Tram motors (2) 21 hp each, 220 V dc. 

Tram speed (SCR controlled) to 90 ft/min. 

Breaker motor 100 hp , 460 V ac. 

Pump motor Do. 

Hopper capacity 191 ft . 

Chain conveyor 30 in wide, variable-speed and 2-direction, 

center strand, heavy-duty rock chain. 

Tail boom Variable swing and elevation. 

BOLTER MODULE 

Power Hydraulic and intrinsically safe. 

Height: 

TRS fully extended 8 ft. 

TRS retracted 4 ft. 

Boom extension capability 5 ft 5 in. 

Weight 7,000 lb. 

Crawler track 11 by 36 in. 

TRS loads 12,000 lb at 500 lbf/in 2 . 

Drill heads (2) spacing 4 ft. 

Drill torque (adjustable) To 275 fflb at 2,000 lbf/in 2 . 

Drill speed (adjustable) To 325 r/min. 

Drill thrust (adjustable) To 7,000 lb. 

Vacuum dust collection 3-stage. 

SAFETY 

Emergency stop switches (ribbon type)... 9. 

Fire suppression Water sprays. 

Dust suppression Do. 



SCR Silicon control rectifier. 
TRS Temporary roof support. 



Status 

After successfully completing surface 
test trials, the hopper-feeder portion of 
the HFB, which includes the surge car and 
lump breaker, was combined with the mono- 
rail bridge conveyor (a Bureau-developed 
face haulage system, described later in 



this report) to form a continuous face 
haulage system. The system was tested 
underground and proved the concept that 
coal can be transported from the CM on a 
monorail system attached to the mine roof 
with the hopper-feeder serving as a surge 
car and lump breaker. 



33 



Subsequently, the hopper-feeder was 
used by the Consol Pennsylvania Coal Com- 
pany to design a similar type vehicle to 
interface between the company's continu- 
ous face haulage system and miner-bolter. 
Testing and evaluation will commence in 
the summer of 1988. 

There are no plans to take the optional 
manually operator bolter module under- 
ground. Long-range plans include operat- 
ing the bolters remotely in conjunction 
with the hopper-feeder. 



-20' 



2- pass 

CM — 



\ 



Exhaust X, 
Tubing or ', 
brattice- 



tSI 



HFB 



1_T 



Bolter 
module 



-CM 
trailing 
cable 



-HFB 
trailing 
cable 









HFB 




HFB 



U3 



H 
KEY 



CM 



HFB 



E3 Unbolted roof 
■ Miner operator 
♦ HFB chassis operator 



• Inside bolter operator 

* Outside bolter operator 



FIGURE 29. -Hopper-feeder-bolter handheld remote control 
unit. 



FIGURE 30.~Operating sequence of hopper-feeder-bolter 
(HFB) beside a two-pass continuous miner (CM). 



34 



MONORAIL BRIDGE CONVEYOR 

Objective 

To develop a cost-efficient continuous 
face haulage system suspended from the 
mine roof to improve productivity and 
health and safety. 

Justification 

The primary bottleneck preventing in- 
cresed production in room-and-pillar min- 
ing sections is the inability of inter- 
mittent shutte car haulage to keep pace 
with the CM, especially in mines with bad 
bottom conditions. The monorail bridge 
conveyor (MBC) system has the potential 
to improve productivity by eliminating 
shuttle car changeout times; the MBC pro- 
vides a captive guidance system that 
requires only one operator, regardless 
of length, and allows haulage in poor 
bottom conditions where conventional 
rubber-tired shuttle cars do not operate 



efficiently. In regard to safety, the 
MBC is an improvement over conventional 
systems because it eliminates the poten- 
tial for accidents involving shuttle car 
trailing cables and moving vehicles. 

Description 

The MBC consists of a series of cascad- 
ing belt conveyors supported by an in- 
verted T-section monorail bolted to the 
mine roof. The basic concept was con- 
ceived and patented by the Bureau in 1979 
(U.S. patent 4,157,757). It was designed 
and fabricated by the Goodman Conveyor 
Co., Inc., under a cost-sharing arrange- 
ment with the Bureau (contract J0333917). 
The three types of MBC units (the inby, 
typical intermediate, and outby) are 
shown in figure 31. Each conveyor unit 
consists of a belt conveyor mounted on a 
rigid frame, monorail suspension hard- 
ware, a monorail-mounted tram unit, and 
electric power and control components. 
Some of these components are shown in 



wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ^mm 



^^^^^^"'Hr^ ^lg^t 



Inby unit 



l .il.-: 



;%>*. J 



wm/// m/mmm/m///mi//mfmjmMm //mm//mm///,} 




a^^ 




Intermediate unit 



wm/m/M mmmmmmf/mm^gm^^ ^^^ 



(^EE 



gto^i^^llp^^^f= i ^n^ r = i3J _i 



JL 



Outby unit 

FIGURE 31. -Three types of monorail bridge conveyor units. 



35 



figure 32. All MBC units are totally 
monorail suspended except for the inby 
and outby units. The inby end of the 
inby unit (fig. 33) is mounted on rubber 
tires that can be steered remotely. The 
outby end of the outby unit can be 



supported either by a dolly mounted on a 
rigid belt structure or by monorail that 
is directly over the section belt. A 
complete listing of the specifications is 
given in table 8. 



Tail roller 



Return idler 

\ 



Belt sequence switch 
Belt si ip switch Motor control case 

J [ Head roller 




Belt takeup mechanism 



Troughing idler 

10 -hp electric motor 



V Coupler 
Gear-speed reducer 



•*- Inby 



Note: Belting not shown 

Outby 



FIGURE 32.-Plan view of monorail bridge conveyor unit. 




FIGURE 33.-lnby unit of monorail bridge conveyor. 



36 



TABLE 8. - Monorail bridge conveyor (MBC) system specifications 

SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS 

Nominal haulage rate 600 st/h. 

Length (13 conveyor units) 1 312 ft. 

Constant tram speed on monorail 60 ft/min. 

Power 460 V ac. 

Control circuit 120 V ac. 

Total conveying power (13 units) 130 hp. 

Total tramming power (13 units) 20 hp. 

Control of all units Single operator. 

24-ft-radius monorail track Designed for 60° crosscuts. 

Compound curve Designed for 90° crosscuts. 

Minimum recommended entry width 14 ft. 

Monorail suspension On 4-ft centers. 

Typical maximum load on suspension point 2,000 lb. 

Monorail weight 7 lb/ft. 

Monorail lengths available 7 and 10 ft. 

Minimum working height 4 ft. 

Working height over low belt structure in belt 4 ft 6 in. 
entry. 

Maximum recommended gradability 6.5 pet. 

Inby unit support Remotely steered rubber tires. 

INDIVIDUAL BRIDGE SPECIFICATIONS 

Overall length 27.6 ft. 

Active length 24 ft. 

Overall width 7 ft. 

Carrier idlers on 25° angle 4-in diam. 

Conveyor belting: 

Width 3 ft. 

Speed (constant) 400 ft/min. 

Head and tail rollers 7-in diara. 

Tram drive motor on each unit 1.5 hp. 

Conveyor motor on each unit 10 hp. 

Weight of each unit (empty) 4,200 lb. 

SAFETY FEATURES 

Belt Slip and sequence switches. 

Disk brakes Automatically engage on each tram 

unit drive when tram power is shut 

off. 

Emergency stop On each unit. 

Pendant control From any unit. 

End-of-monorail stop On inby bridge unit. 

Warning horn Before belt conveyor(s) startup. 

Electrical interlock System with panel belt conveyor. 



Expandable to greater length. 



Controls for steering, tramming, and 
conveying are located on an umbilical 
pendant control. The pendant control 
(fig. 34) may be connected to any unit 
in the system for convenience and allows 



operator positioning to avoid blind or 
unsafe MBC operation locations. 

Both ends of each conveyor unit are 
supported by eight-wheel carrier as- 
semblies (fig. 35) that distribute the 



37 




FIGURE 34.--Pendant control for monorail bridge conveyor. 








Carrier Track with splice p 

FIGURE 35.--Monorail hardware. 



weight of each conveyor on the light- 
weight monorail track (fig. 36). The 
carriers are designed to follow both 



vertical and horizontal curves in mono- 
rail track without affecting conveyor 
suspension. 



38 



H 



14' 






Right switch Leftswitch 



Monorail track section 



10' 



! 



-, J) 



7' 



L 



9' 5 



'|6 



^'/z" 



MK-I, MK-2, MK-6, MK-3, ^K-5, 
straight straight straight left right 

curved curved 




MK-4, 
curved 



Note: All curves on 
24-ft radius 



FIGURE 36.-Monorail track. 



Miner operator 



H Foperator 

— / — 




■^—^Mine-HF cable handler 



« < ~1 » Operator 



fe 



1 



2 -pass 
continuous miner 



HF 



/ 
,nbyunit Monorail track 



—80' 



FIGURE 37, --Monorail bridge conveyor used with hopper-feeder (HF). 



Even though the inby MBC unit can 
be loaded directly by a CM, it would 
be desirable, in most cases, to include 
surge and breaker capabilities between 
the miner and the MBC. This function 
can be best performed by the hopper- 
feeder, which is a portion of the 



hopper-feeder-bolter (HFB) (described in 
this report), as shown in figures 37 and 
38, interfacing between the inby unit of 
the MBC and the miner. 

The MBC has a variety of applications: 
It can be used for room-and-pillar raining 
(fig. 39), longwall panel development 



te BfMWtWlltr i l * llB^I»Wii.anvtYirtlnfnir<if.a,/Ai)n^,,.d,^MMawit.,w^..,,t..w,, v.„hr,;,»..,<ii,.dj .M.>.,».^Kd;,\ ;/, ,y,..v ,„.>,, .w/^/tw.v >-, .1,, 

HF tail boom 



62" min 



Hopper of inby unit 




FIGURE 38. --Monorail bridge conveyor interface with hopper-feeder (HF). 



39 



Continuous miner 



Hopper-feeder 
surge car 




1 2- unit system 



Monorail track 



FIGURE 39.-Monorail bridge conveyor mine plan for room-arid-pillar mining. 



(fig. 40), or shortwall mining (fig. 41). 
Surface testing has confirmed that the 
MBC can negotiate a 90° crosscut ( 18 , 31- 
34). 

Status 

After successfully completing surface 
test trials, the MBC was combined with 



the hopper-feeder to form a continuous 
face haulage system that was tested 
underground in a midwestern coal mine. 
Test results proved the concept that coal 
can be moved from the face in a roof- 
supported monorail system. Figure 42 
shows the MBC outby unit installed over a 
section belt underground. 



40 



Panel belt 



Belt 



Intake 



Return 



Monorail bridge \m nMr „ii tr „^ 
conveyor Monorail track 




60° (typical) 



Not to scale 



FIGURE 40. --Monorail bridge conveyor mine plan for longwall panel entry development. 



mm mm 



Panel belt conveyor 



Monorail bridge 
conveyor 

Continuous miner 




mm l_j 






1 ■' ■ •* n i - ' ■ 



„ Chock 

FIGURE 41. -Monorail bridge conveyor used with shortwall mining system. 



,.-■ '.• 



MULTIPLE-UNIT CONTINUOUS 
HAULAGE SYSTEM 

Objective 

To improve productivity and safety in 
room-and-pillar mining by developing a 
continuous, self-tracking, rubber-tired 
face haulage system to reduce the in- 
efficiencies of conventional shuttle car 
haulage systems. 



Justification 

Continuous face haulage can be an at- 
tractive alternative to shuttle car haul- 
age in underground room-and-pillar coal 
mining and particularly in thin coal seam 
deposits. Continuous haulage allows the 
mining machine to mine more coal by 
avoiding the wait for shuttle cars to 
move into a loading position behind the 
miner. Continuous haulage systems are 



41 




FIGURE 42.-Monorail bridge conveyor underground installed over a section belt. 



also inherently safer because accidents 
involving fast-moving shuttle cars are 
eliminated. An important aspect of any 
continuous haulage system is the ability 
of each segment of the train to follow in 
the same path as the preceding segment. 
The system length, which generally ex- 
ceeds 250 ft, requires a retracking sys- 
tem that is accurate and reliable to re- 
duce interference and guarantee safety. 

Description 

The MUCH system (fig. 43) was designed 
and manufactured by Jeffrey MMD under Bu- 
reau contract J0333941 (35). Each MUCH 



vehicle has a chain conveyor mounted on a 
transporting vehicle that has four-wheel 
steering and two-wheel drive. The vehi- 
cles are connected by a unique mechani- 
cal self-tracking steering system (U.S. 
Patent 4,382,607), as shown in figures 44 
and 45, which connects adjacent vehicles 
into a train with automatic mechanical 
tracking and retracking. Coal cascades 
from conveyor to conveyor down the vehi- 
cle train from the face at a maximum rate 
of 12 st/min. The train of vehicles is 
steered by the operator in the lead vehi- 
cle (fig. 46), which follows the contin- 
uous mining machine; limited steering 
capability is also provided on the 



42 



Section belt or chain structure 



Lead vehicle operator 




Continuous miner 



Discharge vehicle operator 



FIGURE 43. --Multiple-unit continuous haulage system. 



Steering bar -1 



Hopper 



Drawbar 



Tie rods 




8.25 by 15 tires 



Vehicle B 




Vehicle A 

FIGURE 44.-Vehicle-to-vehicie mechanical linkage steering subsystem for multiple- unit continuous haulage. 



A3 




FIGURE 45.--Multiple-unit continuous haulage undercarriage showing installation of mechanical linkage steering subsystem. 




FIGURE 46.~Lead vehicle of multiple-unit continuous haulage system. 



discharge vehicle to keep the vehicles 
parallel to the panel belt. The mechani- 
cal steering linkages on each vehicle en- 
able all the vehicles to sequentially 
track the path of the preceding vehicle 
through a mine at 80 ft/min. A complete 
listing of system specifications is given 
in table 9. 



The MUCH system includes three types of 
vehicles: Each train (system) consists 
of 1 lead vehicle, intermediate vehicles 
(10 currently available), and 1 discharge 
vehicle with a bridge conveyor. Inter- 
mediate vehicles can be added or removed 
from the train to suit the section mining 
requirements. The length of the 12-unit 



44 



TABLE 9. - Multiple-unit continuous haulage (MUCH) system specifications 

(System: 460-V-ac power, 120-V-ac control; 18-ft-wide entries and crosscuts; 

60° or 90° crosscut angles; 24-ft minimum turning radius; 60-in minimum 

working height; 115,250-lb estimated total 12-unit system weight) 



Lead vehicle 



Intermediate vehicle 



Discharge vehicle 



Frame length 

Bridge conveyor: 

Active length. . . . 

Height 

Width 

Canopy adjustment.. 
Conveyor chain: 

Speed 

Width 

Trough height 

Motor 

Capacity 

Tram: 

Speed 

Motor 

Wheel size 

Tread width 

Brakes 



Drive. . . ■ 
Steering. 



Communication. 
Hydraulics : 

Pump 

Motor 

Headlights : 

Number 

Voltage 



23 ft 3 in. 



19 ft 9 in. . 
3 ft 5 in... 
6 ft 6 in. . . 
42 to 56 in. 



280 ft/min. 

30 in 

9 in 

15 hp 

12 st/min. . 



80 ft/min , 

7.5 hp , 

8.25 by 15 , 

5 ft 

Disk, hydraulic. 



Front wheel , 

Forward — manual ; 

rearward — automatic. 
Page phone , 



1 unit 



1 hp. 



11 V ac. 



21 ft 9 in. 

19 ft 9 in, 
3 ft 5 in.. 
6 ft 6 in. . 
NAp 



280 ft/min. 

30 in 

9 in 

15 hp 

12 st/min.. 



80 ft/min 

5 hp 

8.25 by 15 

5 ft 

Spring activated, 
power released. 

Front wheel 

Automatic 



Optional on 1 unit.. 



NAp, 
NAp, 

NAp, 
NAp, 



21 ft 9 in. 

19 ft 9 in. 
3 ft 5 in. 
6 ft 6 in. 
NAp. 

280 ft/min. 

30 in. 

9 in. 

15 hp. 

12 st/min. 

80 ft/min. 

7.5 hp. 

8.25 by 15. 

5 ft. 

Disk, hydraulic. 

Rear wheel. 
Forward — automatic 

Page phone. 

1 unit. 

I hp. 

2. 

II V ac. 



NAp Not applicable. 

NOTE. — Although the MUCH system was designed for use in underground roora-and-pillar 
coal mines, it may also have application to surface highwall mining. 



system with the bridge conveyor is 250 
ft. A typical mining plan, shown in fig- 
ure 43, depicts the system turning a 90° 
crosscut. 

The intermediate vehicle (fig. 47) con- 
sists of a vehicle frame, a chain convey- 
or, conveyor and tram electric motors, a 
permissible electric control enclosure, 
and steering and tracking linkages. 

The lead vehicle (fig. 48), in addition 
to having the same equipment as the in- 
termediate vehicle, contains an ad- 
justable protective enclosure for the 



operator on one side of the vehicle with- 
in the wheelbase, which contains hydrau- 
lics for steering and hopper movement. 
The receiving hopper of the lead vehicle 
is extended by 18 in to reduce the fre- 
quency at which the train must be jogged 
to follow the CM discharge conveyor boom 
during the mining cycle. 

The discharge vehicle, shown in figure 
43, is similar in design to the inter- 
mediate vehicle. The important differ- 
ence is that the discharge vehicle car- 
ries two chain conveyors: One chain 




FIGURE 47. -Intermediate vehicles of multiple-unit continuous haulage system. 




FIGURE 48.--Protective enclosure for multiple-unit continuous haulage lead vehicle. 



46 



conveyor mounts on the vehicle frame, as 
on the intermediate vehicle, and a second 
chain conveyor hangs on top of the rear 
of the discharge vehicle and bridges 
it to a dolly riding on the panel haulage 
belt. A second operator steers the rear 
wheels of the discharge vehicle to pre- 
vent it from drifting into or away from 
the main haulage belt ( 18 , 35) . 

Status 



After completing surface testing and 
evaluation, the MUCH system will be used 
in a highwall mining operation. It will 
be operated remotely, with cables up to 
250 ft from the operator station, in com- 
bination with the remote-control miner 
(discussed in this report) to extract 
coal in a highwall mining operation. 

AUTOMATED BRIDGE CONVEYOR TRAIN 

Objective 

To develop an advanced continuous haul- 
age system with automatic guidance, 
capable of operating in typical room-and- 
pillar mine configurations using a mini- 
mum of personnel. 

Justification 

Continuous haulage would be used more 
extensively except that systems currently 
available place even more constraints 
on the mining operation than do shuttle 
cars. Place-changing with currently 
available continuous face haulage systems 
is time consuming because the movements 
of all components must be carefully co- 
ordinated; simultaneous tramming of all 
units is more difficult using manual con- 
trols. Sections with continuous haulage 
are generally limited to three entries 
because the addition of more haulage 
units (to give longer reach) may increase 
personnel requirements. Additional units 
also increase the complexity of equipment 
tramming during mining. 

One alternative to remedy the difficul- 
ties described above would be to employ 



an automatic guidance system. This is 
one of the first steps required for 
development of a totally automated mining 
system. 

Description 

The automated bridge conveyor train 
(ABCT) is a series of mobile bridge car- 
riers and bridge conveyors equipped with 
an automatic guidance system, as shown in 
figure 49. It was designed and partially 
fabricated by Foster-Miller Associates, 
Inc. , under Bureau contract J0333913 
(36) . With only one operator, an ABCT up 
to 500 ft long can track precisely along 
a guidance cable. This cable is laid 
down by the inby carrier employing a 
microprocessor-controlled guidance system 
that allows system operation with a mini- 
mum of operators. As the train travels, 
each successive carrier centers itself 
about the cable, as shown in figure 50, 
through the use of cable sensors and an 
on-board computer. The cable can be laid 
down and retrieved automatically by the 
lead vehicle as it follows behind the CM. 
A complete listing of the specifications 
is given in table 10. The system is ca- 
pable of operating with only one operator 
located at the outby vehicle. Other 
advantages include the following: 90° 
crosscuts can be negotiated (fig. 51), 
proven hardware is employed for the 
bridge and conveyor mechanisms , and no 
special minesite preparations are re- 
quired for the guidance system. 

Status 



The current objective of the in-house 
program is to complete fabrication of the 
system, perform system evaluation and re- 
liability testing through surface trials 
and make modifications as needed, and 
locate a cooperator for long-term testing 
and evaluation. To date, the inby unit 
(fig. 52) is 90 pet complete, and limited 
surface trials indicate that the system, 
when completed, will have significant 
potential to increase productivity and 
safety. 



47 



"•-Coal face 



Receiving hopper 



Section belt-*- 




Guidance cable 
Mobile bridge carrier 



Guidance cable 



Extensible piggyback bride conveyor 



Guidance cable 



End of continuous 
miner tail boom 



Cable signal sensor 
(not shown) 



FIGURE 49.~Automated bridge conveyor train. 




FIGURE 50.-Automated bridge conveyor train centering itself about guidance cable. 



48 



Extensible piggyback bridge conveyor 




Mobile bridge 
carrier 



FIGURE 51. -Typical room-and-pillar mine plan for automated bridge conveyor train. 

TABLE 10. - Automated bridge conveyor train (ABCT) system specifications 

[System: 276 ft (5 units fully extended plus bridge conveyor); 

960-V-ac, 3-phase, 60-Hz power; 7-ft 8-in maximum vehicle 

width; 175,000-lb estimated total system weight. Mine plan: 

16-ft-wide crosscuts (minimum), 60° or 90° crosscut angles 

on 60-ft centers, 44-in minimum working height] 

Conveyors: 

Width 2 ft 6-1/2 in. 

Depth 5 in. 

Speed 276 f t/min. 

Capacity 8 to 12 st/min. 

Motor 30 hp, 960 V ac. 

Tram: 

Type 4 drive wheels per ABCT carrier unit. 

Speed 24 to 50 f t/min selectable. 

Motor 75 hp each, 960 V ac, electrohydraulic 

stepper type. 
Steering: 

Inby vehicle Controlled by operator via pendant. 

Other vehicles Automatic tracking of signal cable 

paid out by inby vehicle. 

Guidance cable No. 8 AWG single conductor, 0.47-in 

OD, 5 or 10 kHz, 0.5-A current 
capacity. 



49 




FIGURE 52.~lnby unit of automated bridge conveyor train undergoing surface tests. 



FLYWHEEL-POWERED SHUTTLE CAR 

Objective 

To increase productivity and improve 
safety in underground coal mines by de- 
termining if flywheel-powered technology, 
applied to shuttle cars, could provide 
a reasonable alternative to the conven- 
tional shuttle car powered by an electric 
trailing cable. 

Justification 

Conventionally powered shuttle cars use 
ac or dc supplied in a trailing cable 
to an electric drive motor. The use of 
trailing cables in underground coal mines 
limits the number of shuttle cars that 
can be used in a working section. More- 
over, the trailing cable restricts the 
route that a shuttle can travel to and 



from the face, thereby making its use 
extremely cumbersome and intermittent, 
which limits the productivity of a CM. 
The use of trailing cables also poses a 
number of safety hazards such as electri- 
cal shock from deteriorated cables and 
the danger of tripping. 

The more conventional means of provid- 
ing power, such as the internal combus- 
tion engine, are not permissible in some 
States because of the closed environment. 
Flywheel power is especially suited for 
use in hazardous areas because it elimi- 
nates the need for an electrical trailing 
cable. (It has also been used in some 
military applications.) 

A flywheel-powered shuttle car poten- 
tially permits the use of a number of 
such cars in a section to improve produc- 
tivity and increase safety while freeing 
them from restraints inherent with use of 
the trailing cable. 



50 




FIGURE 53. --Flywheel-powered coal mine shuttle car. 




FIGURE 54.-Seven-rotor flywheel for flywheel-powered coal 
mine shuttle car. 



Description 

The flywheel-powered shuttle car (FPSC) 
(fig. 53) was designed and fabricated 
by the Engineered Systems and Develop- 
ment (ESD) Corp. under Bureau contract 
J0333911 (37-39). Several subcontracts 
were let by ESD to obtain essential spe- 
cialized technology, one to Rockwell In- 
ternational, Inc. , to construct the first 



rv 
60 


- 


1 1 


1 

Haul, 


- 


50 


— 


Tram, 


l,890W-h 


™" "" 


I 40 




300 W-h 






— 






/ 




-~ 


„ 


Tram 






r 






(Z 


480 












UJ 


W-h 












O 30 


— 










— 


Q_ 








Load, 
130 
W-h 






20 


— 


Wait 




-L 






10 












- 






Parasitics 








990 W-h 

1 1 1 









100 



200 

TIME.s 



300 400 



FIGURE 55. -Mission duty cycle of flywheel-powered coal 
mine shuttle car. 

seven-rotor flywheel (fig. 54), and one 
to Lear Seigler, Inc., to construct a 
constant-voltage generator (270 V dc) 
that could function at the flywheel high 



51 



speed (16,700 r/min). A combination of 
field data and computer simulations indi- 
cated that typical energy requirements 
for the mission duty cycle would be 3.8 
kW-h (fig. 55). 

This unique flywheel drive system con- 
sists of seven rotors, each 23 in. in 
diameter, chat. rotate up to a maximum of 
16,700 r/min and are encased in a near- 
vacuum (1-Torr) chamber measuring 28 by 
34 by 76 in. The flywheel assembly is 
coupled to a voltage generator, which 
produces 270 V dc to power the shuttle 
car. Enough energy can be generated from 
the flywheel system to power the shuttle 
car through one typical duty cycle each 
time the flywheel system is charged up 
(spun up) to its full capacity from an 
off-board charging station. 

The flywheel module chosen to meet this 
energy requirement and still fit within 
the limited space available on a standard 



shuttle car was a compact seven-rotor 
module (fig. 56). This module is capable 
of storing a total of 6 kW*h of energy at 
16,700 r/min, with A. 5 kW*h of usable 
energy, which permits the car to complete 
the duty cycle with 0.9 kW*h of energy in 
reserve (fig. 57). Specifications for 
the flywheel power system, shown in fig- 
ure 58, are detailed in table 11. Table 
12 is a comparison of the FPSC with other 
haulage equipment in its class. 

Status 

The FPSC has been designed and fabri- 
cated and is undergoing comprehensive 
shakedown surface testing at the Bureau, 
which has resulted in modifications to 
correct deficiencies. Test results indi- 
cate that the flywheel package produces 
enough energy to power the shuttle car 
through a typical duty cycle. 



Flywheel 

acceleration 

transmission 



Oil heat exchanger 



Vacuum pump 



Oil pump 



Oil reservoir 



Brake ring 




Air circulation 
fan 



Rotor assembly 



Output generator 

FIGURE 56.-Energy storage system for seven-rotor flywheel of flywheel-powered coal mine shuttle car. 



52 

TABLE 11. - Flywheel-powered shuttle car (FPSC) specifications 

FMC MODEL 6L SHUTTLE CAR 

Total weight of car with flywheel drive package 30,000 lb. 
(empty). 

Overall length 24 ft. 

Height: 

Frame 2 ft 10-1/2 in. 

Top of canopy 4 ft 2 in. 

Minimum working height for cab with canopy 4 ft 8 in. 

Width 9 ft 4-1/2 in. 

Conveyor width 4 ft 8 in. 

Conveyor speed 64 f t/min. 

Capacity: 

Level 186 ft 3 . 

With 6-in side boards 272 ft . 

Tram speed Up to 4.2 mi/h with SCR control. 

Tire size 10:00 by 15; load rated at 16,000 

lb each. 

Ground clearance 7.5 in. 

Wheel base 8 ft 2 in. 

Boom extension 3 ft 5 in. 

Clearance up 2 ft 11-1/4 in. 

Clearance down 10-1/4 in. 

Turning radius: 

Inside 9 ft 1 in. 

Outside 21 ft 5 in. 

Motors (250 V dc) : 

Traction (2) 15 hp. 

Chain conveyor 15 hp. 

Hydraulic pump 15 hp. 

6-kW-h FLYWHEEL DRIVE 

Maximum gross energy storage at 16,700 r/min 6 kW*h. 

Net usable energy (16,700 to 6,500 r/min) 4.5 kW'h. 

Weight of flywheel drive to exclude onboard charge 3,250 lb. 

system. 

Onboard charge motor 300 hp , 480 V ac. 

Lubrication-cooling system 34.6 gal/rain at 230 lbf/in . 

Vacuum pump pressure in flywheel housing: 

Minimum 0.2 lbf/in 2 . 

Maximum 0. 02 lbf/in . 

Power generator from flywheel rotor 270 V dc. 

Flywheel rotor size 7 rotors by 23 in diara. 

Flywheel housing size 27.5 in diam by 45 in long. 

Flywheel drive space envelope 28 by 34 by 76 in. 

SCR Silicon control rectifier. 

FLIP-TOP CANOPY leanout-related accidents while providing 

a clear line of vision. 
Objective 

Justification 
To develop a new canopy for protecting 
shuttle car operators in low coal from In seam heights less than 48 in, pre- 
roof falls, pinching and squeezing, and vious attempts to apply current canopy 



53 




FIGURE 57.-Energy used in duty cycle of flywheel-powered 
coal mine shuttle car. 



technologies proved inadequate. Typical 
problem areas include visibility and 
operator fatigue caused by unusual and 
cramped operator positions. To overcome 
these objections, the Bureau devised a 
new and unique concept for high-speed 
face equipment in the 30- to 48-in seam 
height range by providing partial protec- 
tion and clear vision for shuttle car 
operators in the direction of tram. The 
canopy then swings over 90° to provide 
partial protection and clear vision when 
tramming in the opposite direction. 

Description 

A flip-top canopy (figs. 59-61), which 
provides increased safety and good visi- 
bility, was designed, fabricated, and 
retrofitted by the Bureau to an FMC 6L-48 
end-driven shuttle car. The flip-top 
canopy is a quarter-circular design with 
a 25-in radius, constructed of 2. 5-in-OD 
high-strength steel tubing with 0.75-in 



0.250diam 0.375diam 
0.5gal/min O.Ogal/min 



4.6gal/min 
200lbf/in 2 



_ 



Alternator 



Flywheel 



Hydraulic 
motor 



£3- 



5.9gal/m 
1601b f/i 



Pressure regulator, 

17. 3gal/min 
< — i 



f^t^J 



Vacuum 
pump 



is 2 



0.75diam 
5.5gal/min 



High- 
speed 



gear 
box 



230-lbf /in2 setting 



I 
I 
I 
I __L25Q.dJ.qm_ 



1 Cooler 1 



8lbf/in' 



Level 
gauge 



C 



^50i a ff'^_ 



Hydraulic 

pump 

34.6gal/min 

3.IOO r/min 

230lbf/in 2 



/K. 



I.250diam 



Filler vent 

j j Dipstick 
i i 



Reservoir 






o 



Accessory 
gear 
box 



I.500 
diam 



Fan 



Filter 
8lbf/in 2 



6.8gal/min 
I00lbf/in 2 (ga) 



Low- 

speed 

gear 

box 



300-hp 
charge 
motor 




Hydraulic 
motor 



-Q- 



6.8gal/min 



0.750diam 



FIGURE 58.-Power system of flywheel-powered coal mine shuttle car. 



54 



TABLE 12. - Comparison of various face haulage vehicles 



Vehicle type 



Stored 

energy. 

kW'h 



Duty 
cycle, 

kW-h 



Total 
onboard 



Pay load 
(water level) 



ft 



st 



Total weight 

(empty), 

lb 



FMC 6L-56, flywheel powered... 
FMC 6L-56, electric trailing 

cable 

FMC 6L-48 , 

Joy 18SC-13 , 

NMSC T-20, Torkar , 

NMSC MC-36-S12 , 

Jeffrey 404L, RAMCAR, battery, 
Kersey 16-S , 



6.0 

NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 
NAp 

70 

77 



3.8 

3.8 

NAp 
3.95 
2.07 

NAp 
NAp 
NAp 



60 

60 
60 
55 
45 
100 
50 
40 



186 

186 
160 
190 
154 
194 
134 
110 



5.1 

5.1 
4.4 
5.2 
4.2 
5.3 
3.6 
3.0 



30,000 

24,000 
22,000 
26,000 
23,000 
28,000 
27,000 
23,000 



NAp Not applicable. 
Includes onboard 300-hp, 480-V-ac charge motor, gearbox, and shafting, which weigh 
approximately 2,750 lb. 




FIGURE 59.-Flip-top canopy, side view. 



55 




FIGURE 60.~Flip-top canopy, rear view. 







FIGURE 61. -Flip-top canopy, front view. 



56 



steel plate. The canopy unit (fig. 62) 
is supported on and rotated by a 1.5-in, 
90-k.ip/in 2 tool steel shaft. A complete 
set of specifications for the canopy and 
shuttle car is given in table 13. The 
top is rotated 90° by means of a 10,000 
in»lb, 1,600-lbf /in 2 rotary actuator. 
The flip-top actuator control (fig. 63), 
is in a protective box outside of the 
operator compartment to prevent acciden- 
tal activation of the canopy with the 
operator inside the cab; however, it is 



conveniently located for easy access wher 
changing tram direction. 

The operator compartment utilizes a 
fully adjustable, sling-type seat, which 
is flipped and moved from one side of the 
compartment to the other when changing 
tram direction (figs. 59, 64). This pro- 
vides increased operator comfort and im- 
proved access to the control pedals. The 
seat may be raised or lowered by tighten- 
ing or loosening the sling. 



TABLE 13. - Specifications for shuttle car and flip-top canopy 
operator compartment 



SHUTTLE CAR 

Weight (empty) 22,000 lb. 

Overall length 24 ft. 

Frame-chassis height 2 ft 11 in. 

Working height 4 ft. 

Overall width 8 ft 11 in. 

Chain conveyor width 4 ft 7 in. 

Chain conveyor speed 64 f t/min. 

Haulage capacity (water level) 160 ft . 

Maximum tramming speed 4.2 mi/h. 

Tire size 10:00 by 15. 

Ground clearance 7.5 in. 

Wheelbase 8 ft 2 in. 

Boom vertical travel 3 ft 5 in. 

Turning radius: 

Inside 9 ft 1 in. 

Outside 21 ft 5 in. 

Motors: 

Traction (2), 250 V dc 15 hp. 

Chain conveyor 15 hp. 

Hydraulics 15 hp. 

FLIP-TOP CANOPY OPERATOR COMPARTMENT 

Height (ground to top of canopy) 3 ft 8 in. 

Canopy width 3 ft 3 in. 

Canopy length 4 ft 11 in. 

Canopy coverage 25 by 34 in. 

Seating width 20 in. 

Flip-top mechanism adjustment time, 90° arc 3.5 s. 



57 




FIGURE 62.-Flip-top canopy showing head and leg room. 




FIGURE 63.--Flip-top canopy actuator control. 



58 



Status 

The flip-top operator compartment has 
been constructed and installed on the FMC 
6L-48 shuttle car and is currently under- 
going performance evaluation at the Bu- 
reau's surface test facility. It is an- 
ticipated that the technology developed 
during the course of this project will 
be used to increase the safety and effi- 
ciency of mine equipment operators. A 
Bureau Report of Investigations on the 
design and construction was published in 
1988 (40). 




FIGURE 64.-Flip-top canopy sling-type seat. 



COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE BUREAU- 
SPONSORED TRANSPORT PROJECTS 

The following is a selection of com- 
pleted Bureau projects that are available 
commercially to the mining industry. 

Maximum-Capacity Shuttle Car 

Under a cost-sharing arrangement, a new 
design for a maximum-capacity shuttle car 
was developed jointly by the Bureau and 
National Mine Service Co. (NMSC) (1976- 
82). The prototype vehicle was tested 
underground in a West Virginia coal mine 
(41). The first commercial version of 
the car was sold to a potash mine in New 
Mexico. Figure 65 shows the first pro- 
totype shuttle car, model MC-36. The de- 
sign is now commercially available from 
NMSC. 

Diesel-Powered Face Haulage Vehicle 

Under DOE and Bureau contracts, a new 
design for a full-time, four-wheel -drive, 
articulated coal haulage vehicle emerged 
(1975-80) (42-43). Initially, this de- 
sign was referred to as the 411H diesel 
RAMCAR; the commercial version is now 
known as the 4114 diesel RAMCAR haulage 
vehicle. The first prototype vehicle was 
tested underground in a western Maryland 
coal mine on slopes up to 25 pet. Figure 
66 shows the vehicle that was used during 
the underground trials. It is now com- 
mercially available from Jeffrey MMD. 

Mobile Bridge Conveyor 
Operator Compartment 

Prior to Bureau sponsorship, a commer- 
cially available continuous face haulage 
system designed for operation in very 
thin seams required protection for the 
mobile bridge carrier operator from roof 



59 




FIGURE 65.--Maximum-capacity shuttle car. 




FIGURE 66.--Diesel-powered face haulage vehicle. 



60 



falls and pinching hazards between the 
machine and coal rib. Jeffrey MMD and 
the Bureau filled this need by designing 
operator protection for this application 
(1976-85), which has since been commer- 
cialized by Jeffrey MMD (44). It has 
been installed on at least 15 vehicles 
sold to the mining industry, known as the 
model 5010 face haulage system. Figure 



67 shows the protective operator compart- 
ment located on a mobile bridge carrier. 

Flexible Conveyor Train 

Under a cost-sharing arrangement with 
Joy Manufacturing Co. , the first version 
of a continuous flexible conveyor train 
(FCT) face haulage system (fig. 68) was 




FIGURE 67.-Mobile bridge conveyor operator compartment. 




FIGURE 68-Flexible conveyor train. 



61 



built and tested underground in a West 
Virginia coal mine; the first prototype 
was referred to as the model 1FCT-3BH 
(1976-80) (45). This is the only mobile 
belt conveyor system in the world capable 
of both vertical and horizontal bending 
radii. The first commercial version, 



2FCT-1BH, was sold to a trona mine in 
Wyoming, and the systems are now being 
used worldwide. Recently, Joy has intro- 
duced another version (3FCT) for under- 
ground use as a continuous face haulage 
system. 



COAL MINE LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY 



Although coal is extracted at the solid 
face within a mine, it is not available 
for consumption until it leaves the mine 
portal and is cleaned and blended. With- 
out coal transport and other mine logis- 
tical support such as service and main- 
tenance machines, materials handling 
devices, and transport of workers and 
supplies, no coal would leave the mine. 
The U.S. mines that have set new extrac- 
tion (production) records of coal mined 
per shift or day prepared their mines 
beforehand by having all logistical sup- 
port services in good working order. The 
mine logistical cost component has been 
calculated to be from one-third to one- 
half of the total capital cost required 
to open a new mine (46-47) , and these 
functions are critical to an adequate re- 
turn on capital investment. Also, many 
of the nonfatal mining accidents occur 
in this sector. For these reasons, the 
Bureau has conducted long-term research 
to develop improved methodologies that 
will optimize mine logistical functions 
and make them safer. The following is a 
summary of the major projects conducted 
in this area. 

CONVEYOR BELT SERVICE MACHINE 

Objective 

To significantly improve the efficiency 
and safety required to advance or retract 
a section belt to keep pace with the ad- 
vancing or retreating coal face. 

Justification 

It generally takes up to a full section 
crew (typically eight persons) and up to 
a full shift (8 h) to either advance or 



retract a section belt conveyor in order 
to keep pace with an advancing or re- 
treating coal face. A 100-ft belt move 
can require handling up to 4,000 lb of 
material, which may result in back injur- 
ies to workers. One way to reduce the 
time and labor along with improving safe- 
ty would be to mechanize the operation. 
This proposed solution has resulted in 
the design and fabrication of a mobile, 
battery-powered vehicle called the con- 
veyor belt service machine (CBSM). 

Description 

The CBSM (fig. 69) is a self-contained 
battery-powered vehicle capable of han- 
dling, storing, and transporting conveyor 
belting, wire rope, and associated struc- 
tures for sectional conveyor belts. It 
was conceived by the Bureau and designed 
and fabricated by Tracor MBA (formerly 
MB Associates) under Bureau contract 
J0333926 (JJ3-19, 48). 

The base structure of the CBSM was 
chosen to be similar to that of a shuttle 
car, with a length of 22 ft 6-1/2 in, a 
width of 10 ft 1 in, and a ground clear- 
ance of 8 in. A drawbar pull of 16,000 
lb was selected for the CBSM based on an 
estimated weight of 32,000 lb for the 
fully loaded machine, assuming a 50 pet 
gradeability factor. The machine (fig. 
70) can tram in either direction from 
creep up to 5 mi/h. It is capable of a 
120-ft belt move distance and of operat- 
ing in a minimum seam height of 48 in. 
Table 14 gives a complete list of machine 
specifications. The machine belt winder 
accommodates belts up to 1/2 in thick by 
42 in wide and provides adequate belt 
storage capacity for safe and convenient 



62 



Batteries 



Double- lapped belt winder 



Control box 



Slat conveyor 




Wire rope winder 

Operator compartment 



Resistor box 

Auxiliary hydraulic control 

Air reservoir 



Section 
belt 

tailpiece 



FIGURE 69.-Conveyor belt service machine. 




FIGURE 70. -Conveyor belt service machine with operator in tramming mode. 



transportation. It has been estimated 
from surface time study trials that the 
time required to connect a belt to the 
belt winder reel and to reel the belt 
onto the reel is 3 min 45 s. Figure 71 
shows the CBSM on the left, attached to 
the belt piece, and the worktable located 
on the right side. 



Status 

In prior short-term underground test- 
ing, the CBSM was utilized for belt moves 
in three mines in West Virginia and Ken- 
tucky. Results indicated that modifica- 
tions were needed to improve tramming, 
brakes, and the belt winder lock. These 



63 

TABLE 14. - Conveyor belt service machine (CBSM) specifications 

MAIN FEATURES 

Mobile, battery-powered vehicle... To assist belt-move crew in making belt extensions 

or retractions. 

Belt structure storage area On-board CBSM. 

Storage reels Dual wire rope. 

Double-lapped belt winder For belting up to 1/2 in thick, by 20 to 42 in wide. 

Air compressor To power pneumatic tools. 

Minimum seam working height 4 ft. 

Machine envelope: 

Length 22 ft 6-1/2 in. 

Width 10 ft 1 in. 

Maximum drawbar pull capability... 16,000 lb. 

Battery power 128 V dc per 680 A*h. 

Total vehicle weight (empty) 28,000 lb. 
(estimated) . 

OTHER FEATURES AND COMPONENTS 

Wheelbase 8 ft 8 in. 

Battery end overhang 6 ft 1 in. 

Hitch end overhang 7 ft 9-1/2 in. 

Tire size 10.0 by 15. 

Inside turning radius 9-1/2 ft. 

Outside turning radius 22-3/4 ft. 

Traction drive (2) 30 hp at 1,200 r/min, 128 V dc, series-wound. 

Traction drive gear box 1-speed, 1.668:1 ratio. 

Braking Built-in park and service brakes. 

Wheel drive 4 required. 

Steering capability ±22.5°. 

Load carrying capacity 10,000 lb each wheel. 

Overall gear reduction 28.98:1. 

Traction drive controller SCR, 1 kA, 2 motors with braking. 

Ground speed at 2,000 r/min 4.14 mi/h SCR drives. 

Steering system 4-wheel, full power, hydraulic, closed center, nonload 

reaction type. 

Drive motor 20 hp at 1,800 r/min, 128 V dc, compound-wound. 

Hydraulic pump 20 gal/min at 1,500 lbf/in 2 , pressure-compensated, 

variable-displacement piston pump. 

Hydraulic reservoir 17 gal. 

Filter 10 ym, throwaway. 

Pneumatic drive Hydraulic motor. 

Compressor 5 hp , 2-stage, 100 lbf/in 2 , 20 ft 3 /min. 

Air receiver 7.5 gal, 80 to 100 lbf/in 2 . 

Wire rope drive Hydraulic motor. 

Winch maximum tension 6,000 lb. 

Winch maximum speed 60 r/min. 

Winch type Planetary gear reduction. 

Belt winder drive Hydraulic motor. 

Winder gear reduction Enclosed spur gear. 

Winder maximum speed.. 50 r/min. 

Winder maximum tension 1,400 to 2,000 lb at 1,500 lbf/in 2 . 

Slat conveyor drive Hydraulic motor. 

Conveyor chain tension 6,000 lb at 1,500 lbf/in 2 . 

Conveyor maximum speed 20 r/min. 

Conveyor lift travel 6 in. 

Conveyor lift capacity 5,000 lb at 1,500 lbf/in 2 . 

Tail section hitch type Hydraulic cylinder. 

Hitch lift capacity 2,000 lb per side at 1,500 lbf/in 2 . 

Control height Individual 10 in. 

SCR Silicon control rectifier. 



64 




FIGURE 71. -Conveyor belt service machine with hitch mechanism attached to belt tailpiece. 



modifications were made and the machine 
was surface tested and proved mine wor- 
thy. Negotiations are under way to place 
the machine underground in West Virginia 
for long-term testing and evaluation. 

MATERIALS HANDLING DEVICES 

Objective 

To reduce mine and equipment mainte- 
nance materials handling injuries by eli- 
minating manual tasks through the use of 
mechanized materials handling devices. 

Justification 

Conventional methods used today for 
supplying working sections require a con- 
siderable amount of manual handling by 
mining personnel. Common supply items 
that must be handled include oil, grease, 
cutting bits, posts, crossbars, roof 
bolts, rock dust, stopping blocks, and 
rail. Hazards associated with the manual 
handling of supplies result in numerous 
accidents. 



Manual materials handling injuries rep- 
resent a critical and persistent problem 
in underground mining operations; annu- 
ally they are the most frequent cause of 
nonfatal lost-time injuries. Although 
materials handling accidents have not 
historically accounted for many fatali- 
ties in underground mines, they are re- 
sponsible for nearly one-third (26 to 32 
pet) of all nonfatal accidents in coal, 
metal, or nonmetal deep mines in the 
United States (49). In 1983, injuries 
related to materials handling accounted 
for approximately 34 pet of all lost-time 
and 32 pet of non-lost-time injuries in 
underground coal operations. Table 15 
represents an analysis of in-mine materi- 
als handling accidents. Table 16 lists a 
summary of analysis findings by the U.S. 
Mine Safety and Health Administration. 
In view of these statistics, the Bureau's 
goal is to reduce injuries from handling 
mine and equipment maintenance materials 
by mechanization of manual tasks wherever 
possible through the use of low-cost, 
easily fabricated materials handling 
devices (49-50). 



TABLE 15. - Analysis of in-mine materials handling accidents 1 



65 



Handling mode 

On-section manual handling of equipment, supplies, and 

materials during production shift 

Supply movement from surface to point of use 

Section move: moving equipment to new working section 

Equipment maintenance 

Mine maintenance and maintenance material handling.... 
Total 



pet 


of 


all in- 


uries 


11. 


2 


49. 


5 


13. 





16. 


3 


10, 






100.0 



Data derived from study performed by MB Associates under Bureau 
contract J0333926. 



TABLE 16. - Summary of major health and safety analysis findings, percent 



Reporting category 


Maintenance 


Reporting category 


Maintenance 




Mine 


Machine 


Mine 


Machine 


Part of body injured: 

Back 


38.6 

21.8 

5.7 


31.9 

25.9 

4.6 


Source of injury — Con. 


5.6 
NS 
NS 
NS 


NAp 
21.5 






10.9 






Total 


66.1 


62.4 


9.0 








Accident type: 


34.1 

18.4 
10.8 


21.6 
16.8 
12.3 


67.6 


41.4 


Overexertion lifting. . . . 


Nature of injury: 


47.6 

14.9 

17.6 

8.9 


40.5 


Overexertion n.e.c 




10.1 




63.3 


55.2 




10.8 


Source of injury: 


53.0 
9.0 


NAp 
NAp 




17.6 


Total 




Timbers, posts, caps.... 


89.0 


79.0 







NAp Not applicable. 



n.e.c. Not elsewhere classified. 



NS Not specified. 



Source: U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, Health and Safety Analysis 
Center. 



Description and Status 

The devices that have been designed, 
fabricated and are ready for in-mine 
tests are summarized below. 

Scoop-Mounted Boom Hoist 

A simple boom devise was developed that 
could be used to lift components weighing 
up to 3,000 lb and to lower them safely 
to the ground. This boom (fig. 72) 
mounts quickly onto the front end of a 
small scoop. The design features of this 
device include — lifting capacity is 3,000 
lb, lift can be either manual or powered, 



and the device is designed to be in- 
stalled or removed in 5 min. 

Lift-Transport Mechanism 

A floor-type maintenance jack was de- 
signed and fabricated to lift machine 
components from the bottom, transport 
them over short distances, and maneuver 
them into position for installation. The 
design features of the lift-transport 
mechanism (fig. 73) include — it has a 
lift capacity of up to 1,000 lb, it uses 
standard, automotive-type floor jack, and 
it is mounted on balloon tires for ease 
of movement. 



66 










FIGURE 72. -Scoop-mounted boom hoist. 




FIGURE 73.-Lift-transport mechanism. 



67 



Machine-Mounted Swivel Crane 

A lightweight, removable, storable lift 
crane was developed that could be mounted 
on maintenance carts or on mining ma- 
chines. This crane (fig. 74) swivels for 
locating the load and lifts it by a man- 
ual crank. The design features of this 
device include — its load capacity is 500 
lb, the boom height ranges from 24 to 68 
in, depending on leg length, its arm ra- 
dius is 24 to 48 in, and it mounts and 
stows without tools. 



miners balances the beam on the swivel 
part of the jack; the other operates the 
jack handle to raise the beam to the roof 
or into final position. When not being 
utilized to handle timbers or beams, this 
vehicle serves as an ordinary flatcar 
for hauling mine supplies. The design 
will accommodate either rail-mounted or 
rubber-tired supply cars and different 
rail coupler designs, and can be fabri- 
cated in a typical mine shop. This de- 
vice is being tested underground in an 
Ohio coal mine. 



Container-Workstation Transporter 

A special container was designed in 
such a manner that many of the mainte- 
nance tasks performed in a mine section 
could have the required tools and sup- 
plies mounted in a transportable con- 
tainer. The container is moved around a 
working section by a transporter designed 
to be positioned around the container. A 
lift mechanism raises the container off 
the floor. The overall load is carried 
by the wheels as the operator controls 
motion by pulling, steering, and balanc- 
ing the unit on its axle (fig. 75). The 
design features of this device include — 
weight of 150 lb, 500-lb carrying capac- 
ity, balloon tires for ease of movement 
over rough bottom conditions, and manual 
guidance and locomotion. 

Timber Car 

The need for lifting and positioning 
heavy mine timbers is ever present in 
mining operations. The timber car was 
built to eliminate much of the manual 
lifting effort required for this process. 
The rail-mounted timber car (fig. 76) 
uses a hydraulic jack, recessed into the 
carrying platform of the flatcar, to lift 
and swivel into final position timbers 
and metal crossbeams to the roof for per- 
manent installation. These wooden or 
steel beams, which can weigh up to 300 lb 
each, are typically lifted and supported 
manually by two or more mine personnel, 
one on each end. With the use of the 
timber handling flatcar, one of the 




FIGURE 74.-Machine-mounted swivel crane. 



68 




FIGURE 75.-Container-workstation transporter. 



69 




FIGURE 76.-Timber car. 



70 



Diesel-Powered Forklift 

A diesel-powered forklift (fig. 77) de- 
signed specifically for underground duty 
uses palletized loads as much as possible 
to transport supplies. In-mine trials 
began in 1986. Some of its main features 
include — mine duty design with adequate 
ground clearance (7 to 11 in), Perkins 
200 series diesel engine rated at 59 hp 
with dry-type safety system, forklift 
mast rated at 1,500 lb load carrying 
capacity, cable winch attachment with 
3,000 lb pull capacity, skid steering, 
and overall weight of 7,600 lb. This 
vehicle was tested in an Illinois coal 
mine in 1986-87; underground testing in- 
dicated the usefulness of using a diesel- 
powered forklift to transfer pallet loads 
of mine supplies. 



TRACK MAINTENANCE VEHICLE 

Objective 

To develop a track maintenance vehicle 
to clean the track for visual inspection 
and to measure track gauge and cross - 
level deviation. 

Justification 

Most deep mining track systems require 
periodic inspection and maintenance. 
Track inspection is normally based upon 
visual observations of the track layout 
and the ride quality of mantrips assessed 
by operators and supervisors. However, 
accurate and reliable visual inspection 
of the track condition can only be accom- 
plished if the surface of the ties are 




FIGURE 77.-Diesel-powered forklift. 



71 



free of debris. Track cleaners presently 
employed by the mining industry utilize 
scraper blades that remove the bulk of 
debris; however, layers of dirt that lie 
atop the ties, fishplates, spikes, and 
rails are not removed. Furthermore, cur- 
rent machines cannot clean in and around 
track switches and frogs, critical compo- 
nents of a track system that require more 
frequent inspection and maintenance. In 
view of this need, the Bureau has de- 
signed and fabricated a prototype track 
maintenance vehicle capable of not only 
cleaning the track well enough for visual 
inspection but also checking the track 
gauge and cross-level. 



Description 

The track maintenance vehicle (fig. 78) 
is rail mounted, is pulled by a locomo- 
tive, and contains the following subsys- 
tems: carrier, brush assembly, material- 
removal system, track inspection system, 
electrical equipment and controls, and 
hydraulics. 

The carrier, which is a specially de- 
signed flatbed car, is 10 ft long and 5 
ft wide. The underframe is mounted on 
two Huwood-Irwin axle wheel assemblies 
with a capacity of 3 st per axle. The 
carrier's basic structure consists of 




FIGURE 78.-Track maintenance vehicle. 



72 



four No. 6 longitudinal channels and two 
transverse end beams. 

The brush assembly, as shown in figure 
79, is driven by two hydraulic motors. 
The frame and brush are lowered to the 
track until their own weight is balanced 
by an adjustable spring assembly. 

The material removal and dust control 
assembly (fig. 80) consists of a shroud 
to contain the materials coming off the 
brush and a conveyor that transports the 
material to either side of the track. 

The track measuring device consists of 
two main parts: the track inspector 
assembly and meter box. The track gauge 
and cross-level deviation measurements 
are based on a change of voltage; the 
device uses a potentiometer for cross- 
level deviation and a linear variable 
differential transformer for track gauge 
deviation. 

Status 

A brief underground test of the vehicle 
was conducted in a West Virginia coal 
mine, with the performance of each sub- 
system evaluated separately. Detail de- 
sign and fabrication plans will be made 
available to the mining industry upon 
completion of underground testing and 
evaluation, along with all data collected 
during testing (48). 

RETURNING COAL WASTE UNDERGROUND 

Objective 

To determine the feasibility, costs, 
and benefits of disposing of coal mine 
waste underground. 

Justification 

Mine waste or refuse is an unavoidable 
byproduct of deep-mine coal production. 
Although the amount of refuse that must 
be disposed of varies from one mining 
operation to another, many deep mines 
must dispose of one-third of the raw 



product mined. One potential solution 
for the disposal of mine refuse is to re- 
turn it underground and fill up some of 
the mined-out areas. This approach re- 
duces the amount of refuse stored on the 
surface in piles or in ponds, provides 
for some subsidence protection, and al- 
lows additional coal to be rained in pil- 
lars that would ordinarily be sterilized 
by providing additional support. 



Hydraulic motor 



Shroud 




Brush 



FIGURE 79. -Track maintenance vehicle brush assembly. 




Rail track 



3' 



Rail gauge 



Track width 



/ 
Brush 

FIGURE 80. -Track maintenance vehicle material removal 
system. 



Description 

The Bureau sponsored an approach that 
would return mine refuse to the mine via 
a water slurry pipeline. A hydraulic 
transportation system was designed with 
centrifugal slurry pumps that transport 
at least 45 pet solids by weight, crushed 
so the largest pieces are between 1 and 2 
in (51 ). Slurry transport equipment has 
been set up near the portal of a room- 
and-pillar mine in Appalachia. The es- 
sential portion of the concept is to 
build filter barriers in the entries 
of the section to be filled using a 
construction method shown in figure 81. 
By filling behind these filters with a 
coarse particle-size gradient, the fines 
are trapped, allowing the water to be 
collected in a sump and pumped away 
for control and reuse. The proposed 



73 



backfilling sequence at the mine is 
depicted by figures 82, 83, and 84. A 
schematic of the slurry transport equip- 
ment located near the mine portal is 
shown in figure 85. 

Status 



Because of funding limitations, the 
testing was limited to the backfilling of 
three crosscuts in a nearby abandoned 
portion of the mine with the expectation 
that a cooperative agreement could be 
made with the mine to obtain long-term 
collection of data. The refuse-water 
mixture was pumped about 2,000 ft to the 
backfilling area. The crosscuts filled 
were 3 ft high by 20 ft wide by 50 ft 
long, each with a capacity of 120 st. 
Final results will be available after the 
conclusion of in-mine data gathering. 



SURFACE-TESTING PROTOTYPE MINE EQUIPMENT 



As described above, detailed studies 
complemented with input from industry and 
academia have resulted in a comprehen- 
sive, long-term research effort that ad- 
dresses the equipment technology needs 
of the mining industry. As part of the 
overall effort, new prototype machines 
were designed to fill critical areas in 
order to improve productivity and health 
and safety in the underground coal mining 
environment. Because of the high cost of 
underground prototype equipment testing, 
modification, and evaluation, it became 
apparent that extensive surface testing 
and evaluation were necessary prior to 
any in-mine trials. 

To meet this need, surface test facili- 
ties were designed and built at Bruceton, 
PA, to facilitate a thorough evaluation 
and debugging of prototype mining equip- 
ment prior to underground deployment in a 
production mode. This Bureau facility 
assists in determining the effectiveness 
and reliability of prototype coal min- 
ing equipment. Artificial coal blocks — a 



mixture of coal, fly ash, and cement — can 
be cast into underground configura- 
tions for cutting trials. Coal conveying 
equipment is evaluated using run-of-mine 
coal, crushed limestone, or other bulk 
materials. Maneuverability of mobile 
raining equipment is tested in a simulated 
room-and-pillar raockup area. All other 
machine functions are proven or disproven 
using specialized procedures and instru- 
mentation tailored to the specific piece 
of equipment under test. The unique 
capabilities of this Bureau facility make 
it a valuable asset to mining research. 
Without this facility, many of the proto- 
types described within this report could 
not have advanced to the underground 
evaluation stage. 

Figure 86 shows some of the main compo- 
nents (test buildings) of the Bureau's 
surface test facilities. Figures 87 and 
88 are views inside the facilities used 
largely to simulate and test new ideas 
and designs for mobile mining equipment 
and associated components. 



74 




i Floor 



Wooden posts 




Roof bolts 



Inby 



.Wire mesh and filter fabric - 
Outby inby 




6-in diam 
wooden post 



Clay 




SIDE VIEW * 

FIGURE 81. -Typical fitter barricade for returning coal waste underground. 



75 



■^P Stopping 

Backfilled refuse 




FIGURE 82.-Returning coal waste underground, backfilling sequence-phase 1. 




FIGURE 83.-Returning coal waste underground, backfilling sequence-phase 2. 



76 




FIGURE 84. -Returning coal waste underground, backfilling sequence-phase 3. 



X 



Coarse refuse drain and 



rinse screen 



Minusl/4 in 
plus5mesh 

56st/h 
4gal/min I 



Dryer 



..MX 



Minusl/*: 
plus 28 mesh 

36st/h 
6gal/min 



Fine refuse 
screen 



Minus 28plus 100 mesh 

6st/h 
3 gal/min 



Existing refuse belt 



To 

vacuum 
filter 



Minus 5 
plus lOOmesh 
98st/h 
13 gal/min 




Thickener 



Minus 100 mesh 

25st/h 
I59gal/min 

Make-up water 





Proposed conveyor 
<i_ Mixing tank 

To backfilling station 

^=cp * 



FIGURE 85. -Flow of refuse material in returning coal waste underground. 



77 




FIGURE 86.~Main components of Bureau's mining surface test facility. 




J^^ 



FIGURE 87.-View inside surface test facility staging area. 



78 




FIGURE 88. -View inside surface test facility manuverability trial area. 



FUTURE BUREAU RESEARCH EFFORTS 



Future Bureau research efforts in this 
technology area will include completion 
of surface testing and evaluation of se- 
lected prototypes and final documenta- 
tion of each technology described herein. 
It is anticipated that most of the on- 
going work described in this report can 
be conducted, evaluated, and documented 
within the next few years. However, some 
project work may extend further because 
of unforeseen technological barriers or 
the need to conduct extended in-mine 
trials of some selected prototype equip- 
ment technologies. As each project is 
completed, it will be documented indi- 
vidually by the Bureau in either an in- 
terim (Information Circular) or final 
(Report of Investigations) report and 



made available to the mining industry and 
the general public. These reports should 
be available and released by the Bureau 
in final published form during the next 
few years. In the meantime, technical 
papers will be written and published in- 
termittently on selected work areas as 
the technology matures. 

Other future research efforts by the 
Bureau will be guided by the long-term 
needs of the mining industry to produce 
American coal competitively and safely 
within the domestic and international 
communities. These research efforts may 
involve R&D related to additional mech- 
anization, remote control features, and 
some degree of automation for the mining 
industry. 



79 



SUMMARY 



This report described some of the re- 
search work being conducted or recently 
completed by the Bureau at its Pittsburgh 
Research Center that is aimed at advanc- 
ing the state of the art in technology 
for coal extraction, transport, and lo- 
gistics in underground mining. Specific 
applications of these technologies were 
shown or implied for underground room- 
and-pillar raining, longwall panel entry 
development, shortwall raining, and a 
novel longwall mining technique for thin 
seams. Although most of this research is 
directed toward deep coal raining, some of 
the prototype technology may also apply 
to noncoal deep mines, tunneling opera- 
tions, and surface mining. All work is 
ultimately aimed at introducing new tech- 
nology approaches to the American mining 
industry. Since it is common for tech- 
nology accepted by industry to be pre- 
ceded by one or more decades of research 
and development, some of the work being 
conducted now may not be generally ap- 
plied until the 21st century. Although 
the prototypes that culminated in this 
work are of a high-risk nature, sur- 
face testing and evaluation at the Bu- 
reau's surface test facilities serve to 
eliminate questionable concepts at an 



early stage and significantly reduce the 
risk to mining firms for in-mine trials 
of prototype technologies that survive 
the surface test and evaluation process. 
The Bureau continues to seek cooperation 
from the mining industry to test new 
technologies such as these in operating 
mines. 

Since 1910, the Bureau of Mines has 
played a key role in providing new tech- 
nology to the American mining industry. 
The Bureau's work, as outlined in this 
report, is directed toward establish- 
ing performance criteria and technology 
needed for future mining tools and equip- 
ment; these will help to reduce mining 
costs, increase resource recovery, and 
continually improve mine personnel safe- 
ty. Bureau contributions to the mining 
technology base reflect R&D of a long- 
term, high-risk nature with potential 
high payoff that the coal industry cannot 
conduct on its own and still remain com- 
petitive with other domestic and inter- 
national energy sources. A continuing 
Bureau role will help to ensure that 
America's abundant coal reserves remain a 
competitive energy resource well into the 
21st century. 



REFERENCES 



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to 11-39. 



80 



8. Leech, M. C. , and J. Fagan. Duty 
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9. Mayercheck, W. D. New Continuous 
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11. Farrar, R. B., and D. L. Freed, 
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12. Freed, D. L. , Jr. Face Ventila- 
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May 1, 1977. Natl. Coal Assoc, 1977, 
8 pp. 

13. National Mine Service Co. Auto- 
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contract ET75CO1901 1) . Final Tech. Rep., 
Mar. 1979, 158 pp. 

14. Battelle Pacific Northwest Labo- 
ratories. Automated Extraction System 
Design Review (Dep. Energy contract 
EY76CO61830). Final Tech. Rep., Mar. 
1979, 93 pp. 

15. Farrar, R. B. Summary of Surface 
Testing of the Umbrella Miner Concept 
and First Prototype Machine (contract 
J0133926, Fairchild Int., Inc.). BuMines 
OFR 87-86, 1986, 11 pp. 

16. Coal Age. Fairchild Seeks New 
Financing for Its Umbrella Miner. V. 91, 
No. 11, 1986, p. 17. 

17. Kwitowski, A. J., W. H. Schiff- 
bauer, and W. D. Mayercheck. Controlling 
a Thin-Seam Miner 500 Feet From the Face. 
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Virginia University International Mining 



Electrotechnology Conference (July 30- 
Aug. 1, 1986, Morgantown, WV). WV Univ., 
1986, pp. 80-85. 

18. Chironis, N. P. R&D Aims at 
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No. 2, 1984, pp. 60-68. 

19. Coal Mining. Seventh Annual Di- 
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1985, pp. 30-41. 

20. Mayercheck, W. D. Development of 
Continuous Face Haulage Systems. Pres. 
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Exhibit, St. Louis, MO, Oct. 1977. AIME 
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21. . Coal Mine Haulage — An 

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22. . Development of Continuous 

Face Haulage Systems. Min. Eng. (Little- 
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23. . Continuous Haulage Update. 

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24. . Continuous Haulage Update. 

Min. Eng. (Littleton, CO), v. 35, Feb. 
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25. . Overview of Conveyor Haul- 
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burgh Res. Cent, BuMines, Pittsburgh, PA. 

26. . Overview of Advanced Un- 
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27. . Coal Extraction Transport 

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Pittsburgh, PA. 



81 



28. Scott, F. E. New Technology Im- 
proves Roof Control Safety. Coal Min. , 
v. 22, No. 8, 1985, pp. 24-28. 

29. Chironis, N. P. Bureau Continues 
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30. Evans, R. J., W. D. Mayercheck, 
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31. . Surface Testing and Eval- 
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System. BuMines IC 9146, 1987, 35 pp. 

32. Goodman Conveyor Co. Monorail 
Bridge Conveyor (Dep. Energy contract 
AC01-78ET13346). Phase I Rep., Mar. 
1980, 145 pp. 

33. Brezovec, D. Thin Seams Can Bring 
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1983, pp. 56-74. 

34. Green, P. Equipment Offers Face 
Continuity. Coal Age, v. 89, No. 12, 

1984, pp. 74-76. 

35. Hundman, G. J. , and P. W. Meisel. 
Development of a Multiple Unit Continu- 
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Dresser Industries, Inc.). BuMines OFR 
101-84, 1983, 326 pp.; NTIS PB 84- 
188630. 

36. Durrett, D. D. , and D. T. Atkin- 
son. Auto-Track Bridge Conveyor Train 
For Continuous Face Haulage (contract 
J0333913, Foster-Miller, Inc.). BuMines 
OFR 46-86, 1986, 225 pp.; NTIS PB 86- 
239795. 

37. Christofferson, D. Flywheel-Pow- 
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BuMines OFR 96-86, 1986, 173 pp.; NTIS PB 
87-119079. 

38. General Electric Co. Evaluation 
of a Flywheel Powered Shuttle Car (Dep. 
Energy contract ET77C01-8890). Aug. 
1978, 128 pp. 

39. Zerao, T. A. , and D. Cristof f erson. 
Flywheel Powered Shuttle Car for Mine 
Haulage. Pres. at Flywheel Technol. 
Symp., Scottsdale, AZ , Oct. 1980. Gen- 
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40. Bartels, J. R. , A. J. Kwitowski, 
and W. D. Mayercheck. Protective Struc- 
tures for Low Coal Shuttle Car Operator. 
BuMines RI 9143, 1988, 21 pp. 



41. National Mine Service Co. Devel- 
opment of an Increased Capacity Shut- 
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75ET12555). Final Tech. Rep., Feb. 1982, 
110 pp. 

42. Foster-Miller, Inc. Demonstration 
of a Steam Powered Face Haulage Vehicle 
(Dep. Energy contract ET-075-C-01-9016). 
Final Tech. Rep., July 1979, 132 pp. 

43. Jeffrey Mining Machinery Division. 
Underground Trials of a Diesel Powered 
Face Haulage Vehicle (Dep. Energy con- 
tract DE-AC01-79ET10020). Final Tech. 
Rep. , Nov. 1979, 116 pp. 

44. Kwitowski, A. J., and R. J. Gun- 
derman. Development of a Protective Op- 
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Bridge Carrier. BuMines IC 9093, 1986, 
27 pp. 

45. Joy Manufacturing Co. Demonstra- 
tion of Roof Mounted Flexible Conveyor 
Train (Dep. Energy contract ET-75- 
C-01-8877). Final Tech. Rep., Apr. 1978, 
85 pp. 

46. Skelly and Loy. Logistics Back- 
ground Study — Underground Mining (Dep. 
Energy contract DE-AC01-89ET 11268). Fi- 
nal Tech. Rep., Feb. 1982, 58 pp. 

47. Hanslovan, J. J., and W. D. Mayer- 
check. Logistics in Underground Mining: 
A Close Examination. Coal Min. and Pro- 
cess., v. 20, No. 2, 1983, pp. 36-39. 

48. Eirls, J. L. Development of a 
Conveyor Belt Service Machine (contract 
J0333926, Tracor MBA). BuMines OFR 78- 
84, 1983, 109 pp.; NTIS PB 84-184845. 

49. Unger, R. L. , and D. J. Connelly. 
Materials Handling Methods and Problems 
in Underground Coal Mines. Paper in Back 
Injuries. Proceedings: Bureau of Mines 
Technology Transfer Symposia, Pittsburgh, 
PA, August 9, 1983, and Reno, NV, August 
15, 1983, comp. by J. M. Peay. BuMines 
IC 8948, 1983, pp. 3-13. 

50. Unger, R. L. , and T. J. Bobick. 
Bureau of Mines Research Into Reduc- 
ing Materials-Handling Injuries. BuMines 
IC 9097, 1986, 22 pp. 

51. Popovich, J. M. , and R. F. J. 
Adam. Returning Coal Waste Underground 
(contract J0133928, Ketron, Inc.). Bu- 
Mines OFR 46-87, 1986, 256 pp.; NTIS PB 
88-129333. 



U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1988 — 547-000/80,030 



INT.-BU.0F MINES.PGH. ,PA. 28692 



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OocnrsfW iwm rovv 
P.O. Bon H070 
Pittaeureh, Pa. 18236 



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